A Fight to the Finish
by asha-21
Summary: SEQUEL to NO EASY WAY OUT—Fox and Theresa are happily married and are blessed with two beautiful children. Just when life seemed perfect a woman from Fox’s past comes to Harmony and it rocks the couple’s relationship to the core. Will their love be enough
1. Default Chapter

**A Fight to the Finish**

SEQUEL to NO EASY WAY OUT—Fox and Theresa are happily married and are

blessed with two beautiful children. Just when life seemed perfect a woman from Fox's

past comes to Harmony and it rocks the couple's relationship to the core. Will their love

be enough to save their family or is this finally the end of THEROX? Read to find out!

Plz RR

**Disclaimer: **We don't own any of the known characters from the Passions soap but some of the characters in this story are ours. So please respect that.

**A/N:**

Hey everyone! It's us again, Alicia and Amanda back for some more fun! We decided to do a sequel to "No Easy Way Out" and of course this story is filled with lots of twists and surprises because well…it's more fun that way lol. We don't want to ruin it by doing a summary. We just ask that you read our other story just to become familiarized with the events of this one. A lot of what goes on in this story has to do with the previous one. For those of you who HAVE read the previous one, we hope you're ready for part II. We decided to put a little bit of a more dramatic storyline to it, so we hope you enjoy it! Plz plz review. We love to hear your feedback as we write.


	2. Chapter 1

**CH 1**

"Is there anything else that you needed Ms. Callaghan?"

"No, that would be all." Destiny smiled at the bellboy, handing him a dollar bill.

The man stared down at the bill and blankly looked up at her.

"Is there a problem?" Destiny raised her left brow.

"Well, uh…" The young man began to say, obviously expecting a more generous reward for his service.

"Uh…ya! I didn't think so!" She rudely interrupted him. "Bye now!"

Destiny waved her hand in the air as he quickly hustled out the room.

"Hmph! All they do is bring bags to your room and they expect a million dollars!" She huffed. "I'll definitely have to tell father about the _great_ service they have here in Harmony!"

She rolled her eyes and looked at her reflection in the mirror, smiling approvingly at the flawless face that stared back at her. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement as she thought of the main reason as to why she was even in Harmony. Immediate butterflies filled her tummy as she sighed happily. Just then, her phone rang. She reached into her purse and looked at the display screen.

"Hi Sarah!" She smiled into the receiver.

"Hey Des!" Her best friend happily sang. "So did you see him yet?"

"No, not yet." Destiny sat at the edge of the bed. "I just checked in."

"Oh." Sarah said in surprise. "I would have expected you to already be in his arms by now!"

Destiny laughed at her friend's exaggeration.

"I think we're getting a little ahead of ourselves. Don't you?" She smirked. "I don't even know where I'm going to find him."

"Wait a minute. You mean to tell me you flew all the way to this Harmony place and you don't even know where he is?"

"Well, I know he's _here_! I just don't know the exact place." Destiny replied. "Besides, Harmony is not very big and his family name is well known here. I'm, sure it won't be that hard to find him."

"Did he even know you were coming there?"

"Nope, it will be a total surprise!" She excitedly smiled.

"Ok, Des I don't mean to burst your bubble or anything but you haven't seen or talked to this guy in years. How do you know that he's not involved with someone?"

"Well, I _don't_ know that." Destiny admitted. "In fact I won't be surprised if he has a girlfriend. He _is_ drop dead gorgeous! But one look at me and that little bimbo will seize to exist!"

"Destiny!" Sarah laughed.

"I know, I'm such a bitch!" She giggled amusingly. "But come on Sarah, you know better than anyone how close we were."

"That's true. I mean, you two _did_ almost have that baby."

Destiny sadly sighed as she placed a hand to her tummy.

"Having that abortion was probably the most difficult thing I ever had to do." She despondently recalled. "But at the time we were both so young and my parents would never have approved of it. It was the only thing we could do."

"So what are you planning on telling him once you see him?" Sarah asked.

"Hopefully not too much." Destiny bit her bottom lip. "I mean, he was my first love. We shared an incredible romance."

"I don't know about that Des…"

"Sarah, how can you say that?" Destiny interrupted in amazement.

"I'm sorry but you have to admit, back in school he was pretty into the girls. I just don't know if he shared that same incredible romance with just you"

"Ok fine, so he had a lot of girlfriends, but he was never _that_ serious with them." Destiny said in defense. "I highly doubt that he's just _forgotten_ about me!"

"I didn't say that he forgot about you. I'm just saying that the guy I remember _really_ loved the ladies!" Sarah recalled.

"And the guy I remember could _never_ resist me." Destiny proudly smirked.

"Well, you two always were my favorite couple." Sarah smiled. "I wish you nothing but good luck my friend."

"Thanks, but you know I won't need it!" She giggled. "Anyways, I should get going. It's a beautiful day in Harmony and I feel like sight seeing if you know what I mean."

"Oh Destiny," Sarah laughed. "You better keep be posted!"

"I will! Talk to you later!" She sang, hanging up the phone.

She reached into her purse and pulled out her wallet, smiling at the picture inside.

"Sarah's wrong," Destiny whispered to herself. "There's no way that you could have forgotten about me. We shared way too much."

She rose from the bed and grabbed her purse, walking over to the door.

"Fox Crane, I hope you're ready!" She smiled, the sound of his name sending instant shivers down her spine. "Because once you've seen me, your life will never be the same again!"


	3. Chapter 2

**CH 2**

"_The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout, down came the rain and washed the spider out."_ Fox Crane sang in his best singing voice. _"The cow jumped over the moon and the plate ran away with the spoon…"_

"No Daddy! That's not how it goes!" Four year old Haille giggled.

"Yeah, you're singing it wrong!" Alexander chimed in.

"What?" Fox tried to keep a straight face. "What do you mean, that's not how it goes? That's how I remember it!"

"There's no cow in the itsy bitsy spider song!" Haille gave him a stern look.

"Don't look at me that way young lady." Fox fought back his grin. "I distinctly remember that there was a cow who jumped over the moon."

"That's a different song!" Alexander giggled. "Mommy, tell daddy to sing it right!"

"Fox," Theresa smiled, giving him a look.

"Ok, ok, sing it your way." He rolled his eyes.

"_The itsy bitsy spider went up the water spout down came the rain and washed the spider out._" Haille and Alex sang in unison. _"Out came the sun and dried up all the rain…"_

"_And Hallie and Alex finally went to bed!"_ Fox finished.

"Daddy!" They both yelled.

"Mommy, make him stop!" Hallie turned to her mother.

"Sorry guys, but I agree with your father." Theresa looked at them. "It's time for bed!"

"Awwwww," they whined.

"Why do we have to go to bed so early?" Alex cried, as Theresa tucked him in.

"Yeah, all the fun stuff happens when we go to sleep!" Hallie added, as Fox carried her on his back to her side of the room.

"She has a point there," He smirked.

"Fox!" Theresa threw a teddy bear at his head, and turned to them. "That's enough you two! We've been through this already. When the clock says eight you two need to be in bed."

"That's right." Fox added. "Besides, tomorrow is your first day of school! You need all the rest you can get."

"I don't want to go to school." Hallie sadly looked up at him.

"Hallie baby, we've talked about this." Fox lightly touched her face. "There's no reason to be scared of school. It's where you'll get to do all that fun stuff like coloring and building towers with blocks. You like all that stuff!"

"Yeah, but I wanna do that stuff with you." She pouted.

"Honey, you know that you're daddy and I go to work in the day time." Theresa came over to her daughter's bedside.

"Then I'll stay with Abuela," She smiled.

"Sweetheart, you and Alex can play with grandma after you come home from school." Theresa looked at her.

"Now come on pumpkin, we've told you all this already." Fox sat her up. "Level with us. Why don't you really want to go to school?"

"I won't know anybody there." She finally said.

"Oh sweety, you'll have Alex there with you." Theresa gave her daughter a hug. "And you'll make friends so fast you won't even be able to count them on your fingers."

"That's right! Before you know it, you'll have so many friends you won't even know what to do with them all." Fox smiled at her.

"Now lets get some rest." Theresa kissed them both and followed Fox to the door. "See you guys in the morning."

"Goodnight!" They both sang, as Fox turned off the light.

"Oh man, am I tired!" Fox moaned, as the two of them headed to the bedroom.

"Really?" Theresa sighed. "I was kinda hoping we could have some of that fun you were talking about earlier."

Fox just looked at her and laughed.

"Tempting my love, very very tempting!" He mumbled dropping himself onto the bed. "But honestly I don't know where you get all this energy from."

"Oh I don't know," Theresa smiled, climbing onto his back. "I think it rubbed off from you."

Fox muttered a laugh as she tenderly massaged his neck.

"I really hope Hallie gets over this fear of school." She said.

"She'll be fine." Fox mumbled. "She's too cute to not make friends."

"Yeah, there's bound to be one or two cute boys in that class that will keep her busy." Theresa smiled.

"Huh?" Fox opened his eyes.

"Don't worry sweetheart," she laughed. "For all you know they'll be just like you."

"Uh, let's hope _not_." Fox cleared his throat.

"Why, you're not so bad." Theresa kissed his cheek and rolled from on top of him.

"Maybe not now but as you fail to recall, I was quite the uh…what Ethan liked to call 'womanizer' back in the day." Fox stood up from the bed.

"Geez, you make it sound like you broke women's hearts everyday." Theresa looked up at him.

"Well, I'm not proud of it." Fox shrug his shoulders. "It was just the way I was."

"Oh please Fox, I can't imagine you hurting anyone." Theresa rolled her eyes. "That's one of the things I love about you. You're nothing like that family of yours."

"Well thank you darling." Fox bent down to kiss her. "But what can I say, I'm a charming guy. And I used that charm most of the time to have my way with the ladies."

Theresa made a face at him.

"Well I'm not like that anymore." He smiled. "All that changed the day I met you. I finally understood what love really was and now I'm a changed man."

"That's all very sweet honey, and trust me I'm flattered that I've had such an impact on you. But I just find it hard to believe that you've never loved anyone in the past." She suspiciously looked at him. "Come on, there _had_ to have been at least _one_ girl that stole your heart."

"Not that I can recall, no." Fox gave her a look. "What's up with you? What's with the twenty questions?"

"I'm sorry." Theresa apologized. "I'm just curious to know how a handsome man such as yourself can go through his entire teenaged life without falling in love."

"Trust me." He came close to her, and kissed her nose. "There was no one before you."

He laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes.

"I don't believe you." She giggled. "You're hiding something."

"What?" Fox opened his eyes and laughed. "Theresa, you're insane."

"You're _now_ finding that out?" She smirked.

"Please go to bed." He begged.

"Ok," she finally gave in as she snuggled closer to him. "But I'm gonna find out who she is."

"Uh-huh," Fox mumbled. "Good luck with that."

She smiled as he gently kissed her temple.

_I wonder if he's actually telling the truth and there really was no one before me. _Theresa thought to herself. _It would be kinda nice to know that I was the one who changed the famous womanizer Fox Crane._

She closed her eyes and allowed the wonderful feeling to sweep over her.

_Get a grip Theresa, there's no way that can be true! _She opened her eyes. _Fox had to have fallen in love with someone. But who? And why does he insist that she doesn't exist?_

She carefully turned over to face him, gently tracing her finger over his strong features.

_I wonder who caressed your face before me? Who kissed your lips before I did? _

She sighed and laid in his arms, never taking her eyes off him.

_Who did you love before me Fox? _Theresa whispered and wondered to herself if she would ever find out.


	4. Chapter 3

**CH 3**

"Okay guys, where here!" Fox announced as he pulled up to the elementary school.

"Oh my gosh, this is so exciting!" Theresa grinned, getting out of the car. "Guys, aren't you excited? It's your first day of school!"

"I'm excited mommy!" Alex yelled, as she helped him out of his car seat.

"What about you Hallie, aren't you excited?" Fox asked his daughter.

Hallie just looked up at him with an unimpressed expression on her face.

Fox and Theresa exchanged worried glances, as Fox helped his daughter out of the car. He gave Theresa a signal to go ahead with Alex while he talked to Hallie alone. Theresa smiled and walked Alex into the school.

"Come on buddy, let's go see your new school!" She eagerly said, taking hold of his hand.

When they left, Fox lifted his daughter in his arms and sat down with her on a nearby bench.

"Alright missy, you and I are going to have one of our talks." He looked at her with serious but loving eyes. "Now tell daddy what's up."

Hallie took a deep breath and stared up at him.

"Alex is so excited about school. What if he has so many friends that he leaves me? I won't have anyone. What if my teacher's mean? What if nobody likes me? What if—"

Fox put up his hand to stop her.

"Honey, if you don't stop all this worrying your head is just going to fill up with all these scary thoughts and before you know it, it'll just blow up like a balloon and then your whole body will raise higher and higher in the sky, until you become lost in the clouds!" He said in one breath.

Hallie looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Daddy, that's impossible!" She giggled. "Where do you get this stuff?"

Fox laughed and pressed his nose against hers.

"At least I got you to laugh," he whispered.

Hallie frowned as she realized his trick.

"Now, have I ever lied to you?" He asked her.

"No," she softly said.

"Ok, then believe me when I say that you will be fine today." He smiled at her. "You will absolutely _love_ your teacher and you know how I know that?"

"How?"

"Because I met her and she is super nice _and_ almost as funny as me," he winked at her.

"Nobody's as funny as you daddy," she grinned.

Fox reached into his pocket and pulled out a small pink bracelet.

"You know what this is?" He asked her. "It's a friendship bracelet."

"What's it for?" Haille asked puzzled.

"It's for your new friend." He simply told her.

"But I don't have a new friend."

"Ah ha! But you will!" he winked at her. "When you walk into that classroom today, the first person who comes up to you and says 'Hi, what's you're name?', that's who you give it to."

Haille took the bracelet and looked at it for a while, a smile soon appearing on her face.

"Thanks daddy," she smiled giving him a hug.

"You're welcome baby," he grinned as he looked up and saw Theresa and Alex heading their way.

"Haille!" Alex shrieked excitedly. "You _have_ to see our classroom! It's _so_ cool! There are dinosaurs and big coloring books and lots and lots of blocks and paints and a big giant computer!"

"Ok! Let's go!" Haille yelled, taking his hand as they ran to the front doors.

"Did you give her the bracelet?" Theresa looked at Fox.

"Yup, _and_ I told her the friend story." He assured her. "Did Pilar really give you a bracelet like that when you were younger?"

"Yes she did, and can you guess who I gave it to?"

"Hmmm, Whitney?" He looked at her and laughed.

"How did you know?" She winked at him as he pulled her in for a kiss.

"Mommy, daddy, lets go!" Alex impatiently yelled at them. "We don't wanna miss school!"

"Yes sir!" Fox saluted him, as the four of them happily walked into the building.


	5. Chapter 4

**CH 4**

"So I figure there _has_ to be someone in Fox's past that he just hasn't told me about yet!" Theresa explained, as Whitney slowly nodded.

The two of them were at work in a department store that they had owned together called "Claire's". They had always dreamed of starting a fashion business of their own when they were younger and now they finally had. Theresa had always loved designing clothes and Whitney loved the fashion industry. So Fox had set them up with a friend he knew and she helped them start their own company. At first not a lot of people knew about the store but as their business expanded, adding cosmetics, and jewelry to their general clothing idea, they began to get a more positive response from the public.

"And um…why wouldn't Fox tell you about this girl?" Whitney looked at her, as she stocked perfume bottles on the shelves. "If she was supposedly his first love, it would be pretty hard for him to forget her don't you think?"

"Maybe she broke his heart and he _forced_ himself to forget her." Theresa assumed.

"I don't know, it just doesn't all add up." Whitney shook her head. "Fox has been completely honest with you from day one. I think if there really was someone he would have told you by now."

"I guess you're right." Theresa frowned. "I just find it really hard to believe that he's never fallen in love with anyone before me."

"Theresa, why do you always have to be Sherlock Holmes with everything?" Whitney rolled her eyes. "Just be glad that Fox loves you and there isn't another woman in the picture."

"Ok, ok," Theresa gave in, as she fixed some of the clothes on their racks.

------------------------------

Destiny drove down the streets of Harmony and smiled.

"This place is so beautiful!" She said out loud.

She had been driving for what seemed like hours and not once had she seen anything that even remotely resembled the Crane Mansion. She figured that would be the ultimate place to look for Fox since it _was_ his home.

"Ugh!" She sighed frustrated. "This is like searching for a needle in a haystack! There's no way I'm going to just stumble upon the whereabouts of the mansion. There has to be someone in this town who knows where it is."

She looked out the window and spotted a store called "Claire's"

"That's it!" she happily cried. "There must be someone in that store who knows where the mansion is!"

She quickly climbed out of her car and approached the building.

--------------------------------

"So how's the little munchkins doing?" Whitney asked.

"Oh, they're so great!" Theresa smiled. "Today, Fox and I took them to their first day of school."

"Are you serious?" Whitney grinned. "That's so exciting!"

"I know," Theresa nodded. "But Haille wasn't so happy to go. I think she's suffering from a little timidity."

"Awww, poor thing!"

"Yeah, but I think I found a way to reassure her that everything was going to be ok." Theresa said, as she lifted one of the boxes from the shelf.

"Oh really, what's that?" Whitney looked over at her.

"Well, I got Fox to—" Theresa began but was interrupted by the phone ringing.

She answered it and signaled to Whitney that she was going to the back room to take the call. While she was in the back, she heard the bell on the door ring.

"Can you help that customer Whit, I just need to take care of this inventory stuff!" She called to her.

"Ya, no problem!" Whitney called back.

She turned off the steamer and kindly approached the young woman.

"Hi there, welcome to Claire's!" She said to her. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Whitney couldn't help put notice the woman's stylish attire. Her long auburn hair hung in loose curls around her face and her long slender legs peaked out of a cute leather brown skirt. The woman also wore a jacket to match the skirt, with a lace camisole inside. She was very beautiful.

"Yes, I was hoping that you would be able to tell me where I could find a place that I was looking for?" Her Australian accent rang in the air. "I'm rather new here and I've been going around in circles trying to find this place!"

"I'd be happy to help you!" Whitney smiled. "What exactly were you looking for?"

"The Crane Mansion," Destiny told her.

"The Crane Mansion?" Whitney looked at her puzzled. "Are you looking for someone specific from the mansion?"

"Actually I am, but I'm pretty sure that I would find him there. So if you could just tell me where it is…"

"Oh, ya sure." Whitney quickly grabbed a pen and paper and jot down the address and gave it to her. "It's really not that far from here. I'm sure you'll find it pretty easily."

"Thank you for all your help!" Destiny smiled, and walked out the store.

Whitney just stood there with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Was everything ok with that customer?" Theresa asked coming into the room.

"Um…ya," she slowly responded. "But it was the weirdest thing."

"What?" Theresa looked at her. "Did she want something that we didn't have in the store?"

"No, it's nothing like that." Whitney shook her head. "She said she was new to Harmony and wanted me to tell her where the Crane Mansion was."

"Did she say why?" Theresa gave her a puzzled look.

"No, all she said was that whoever it was, she was pretty sure he was going to be there."

"That's weird, I wonder who she was looking for?" Theresa looked out the window.

"I don't know." Whitney sighed. "She was pretty young-looking though."

"Hmm…she's probably one of Alistair's little _assistants" _Theresa smirked. "You know he likes them nice and young!"

"Eww," Whitney made a face, as the two of them continued with their work.


	6. Chapter 5

**CH 5**

Fox sat in the Crane Mansion living room and scanned through the documents he held in front of him. He had came over to the mansion to see if Ethan had any information on a client Fox was doing business with and as luck would have it, he did. Suddenly he heard footsteps come down the stairs. He raised his head to find his half brother and Paloma with a straw basket heading towards the door.

"Well well, what do we have here?" He bellowed from the living room.

"Hey, you're still here?" Ethan smiled, as they came into the room.

"Yeah, I uh just decided to take a look at these documents." He explained. "Thanks again by the way."

"No problem." Ethan grinned, slipping on his jacket.

"But look at you two love birds!" Fox smiled. "What's with the basket?"

"Ethan and I are having a romantic picnic in the park!" Paloma told him, kissing Ethan tenderly. "Oh, I forgot my sweater! I'll be right back!"

She quickly dashed up the stairs, as Ethan joined Fox on the couch.

"So how are things going with you two?" Fox asked. "You seem pretty happy!"

"We are! Paloma's a great girl!" Ethan smiled. "Things are starting to feel really comfortable between us. It's great!"

"Well I'm happy for you!" He said, giving him a pat on the back.

"Thanks." Ethan grinned. "How are Theresa and the twins?"

"Well we had a bit of a problem with Haille this morning."

"First day of school?" Ethan guessed.

"Yeah, she was a little scared but thanks to Theresa we finally got through to her." Fox smiled.

"That Theresa, always thinking of everything." Ethan looked at him.

"Tell me about it. I don't know what I'd do without her." He beamed, gathering his stuff. "Anyways, I should get going. You two have fun on your picnic and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"So I guess that means nothing then!" Ethan called to him.

"Ha ha!" Fox sarcastically laughed as he closed the door behind him.

Ethan rose from the couch and dashed to the backroom closet, remembering to bring a blanket. When he returned, Paloma was just coming down the stairs.

"Are you ready to go?" She happily sang, as he put the blanket in the basket.

"Yes, I do believe so!" He winked at her. "Just let me get my car keys and we'll be on our way!"

Just then the doorbell rang.

"I wonder who that could be?" He said, opening the door.

A tall beautiful woman stood before him, a smile slowly appearing on her face.

"Ethan?" She said. "Is that you?"

"Uh, yes…that would be my name," Ethan looked at her puzzled. "Do I know you?"

"My apologies!" She grinned. "I completely forgot that we never really met! I just remembered you from a photograph I had seen a few years ago!"

"Forgive me, but I'm still not getting a clear picture as to who you are." Ethan still looked at her.

"I'm so sorry! How incredibly rude of me! I'm just so flabbergasted that I finally found this place!" She continued. "It's me, Destiny!"

Ethan let the name dance around in his head.

"Destiny?" He repeated. "Destiny Callaghan? Fox's—"

"Yes!" She excitedly shrieked.

"Oh my gosh!" He shockingly responded. "Come in!"

"Thank you," she smiled entering the enormous estate.

"Destiny, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend Paloma." Ethan grinned closing the door behind her.

As she walked into the living room, Ethan couldn't take his eyes off her.

_What in the world is she doing here? _He thought to himself.

"So what brings you to Harmony?" He asked, sitting down next to Paloma.

"Well, I remember Fox writing to me and telling me how wonderful this place was, so I decided to come see it for myself!" She lied. "And of course I came to pay him a little visit!"

"Are you and Fox close friends?" Paloma asked her.

"Oh sweetie, Fox and Destiny were involved back when he was in boarding school." Ethan explained. "I didn't know you two still kept in touch."

"Well it's been a while actually since we talked, but I can't wait to see him so we can catch up!" She grinned excitedly, looking around the room. "Is he around?"

"What?" Ethan replied dumfounded. "Oh, no he's not. Uh…he _was_ though, but he left."

He put a hand to his head as he struggled to understand why Destiny would suddenly show up in Harmony to see Fox. As far as he knew, his half brother had forgotten all about the strikingly beautiful woman. When Fox came back to Harmony he never even mentioned her name. Now after all these years, Destiny's decided to pay him a friendly visit? Something just didn't add up.

"That's too bad," She frowned. "Well do you know when he will be back?"

"Um...he doesn't actually live here anymore." Ethan slowly told her, not knowing how much information he should reveal.

"Oh really?" Destiny raised her left brow.

"Yeah, he lives on his own now." Ethan simply said, feeling Paloma's gaze on him.

"Well can you give me the directions to where he's staying?" Destiny impatiently inquired.

"Uh…yeah, of course." He stood up to grab a pen and paper from the table.

As he jotted down the address, he glanced up and noticed her eyeing a nearby picture of Fox and the family. He returned to the living room and handed her the paper.

"Well that's the address," He told her. "You shouldn't have any trouble finding it. It's pretty easy."

"Excellent!" She widely grinned, rising from the couch. "I guess I should get going then. I don't want to miss another opportunity!"

"Ok, well it was really nice seeing you." Ethan smiled, as he and Paloma followed her to the door.

"Likewise Ethan, it's always a pleasure." She grinned, giving him a hug. "It was really nice meeting you Paloma, I hope to see you again!"

"Yeah, it was really nice meeting you to Destiny!" Paloma smiled. "Bye!"

"Bye!" She waved, as Ethan closed the door behind her.

"Hmm," he frowned. "That was weird."

"Uh ya, I'd say!" Paloma looked at him. "Why didn't you tell her that Fox wasn't living alone?"

"I think it would probably be best if Destiny found out about Fox and his new life on her own."

"Why?" Paloma looked into his eyes confused.

"I don't know why Destiny would have suddenly shown up in Harmony to see Fox, but something tells me that it wasn't just for a friendly visit." He concluded.

"I don't understand. You think Destiny still has a thing for Fox?" Paloma asked, folding her arms.

"I'm sure of it."

"I wonder what Fox's reaction is going to be when he finally sees her?" She looked out the window.

"Fox?" Ethan stared at her. "What about Theresa? When she finds out about Destiny and her not so honorable intentions, towards _her_ husband I don't know what's going to happen."

He walked into the living room and ran a hand through his hair.

"You don't think Fox has told Theresa about Destiny?" Paloma followed him. "I thought he told her all about his past when they first met."

"Well if he _did_ tell her then this shouldn't blow over too bad."

"And if he didn't?" Paloma looked at him worried.

"Then this is going to be one hell of a surprise for Theresa."


	7. Chapter 6

**CH 6**

"Whit, are you sure it's alright if I leave early?" Theresa called from the backroom. "Because I can totally stay if it's going to inconvenience you or anything!"

"Absolutely Theresa, go ahead!" Whitney assured her. "The store isn't even that busy, I'll be fine!"

"Ok," she sighed, slipping on her jacket. "It's just that I'm really worried about Haille's first day."

"Theresa, I completely understand," Whitney looked at her best friend. "Tell her Aunty Whitney says hi!"

"Thanks Whit, you're the best!" She quickly hugged her, and headed for the door. "Call me if anything!"

Whitney waved her hand in the air and continued filling out inventory sheets.

Theresa got into her car and headed to the school. As she waited for the traffic light to change she pushed the button on her phone to auto-dial her mother.

"Hello?" Pilar answered.

"Hey Mama, it's Theresa!" she called.

"Therasita, how are you Mija?" Pilar asked.

"I'm great!"

"That's good, and Fox and the twins?" Pilar went on.

"Fox is good too." She smiled. "But Hallie wasn't so good this morning about her first day of school. She was a little scared to go."

"Aww, that's too bad. You should have given her the bra—" Pilar started.

"Bracelet? Yeah, I remembered." Theresa smiled. "I told Fox to give it to her."

"And?"

"Well, he said she felt a lot better after, but I'm still kind of worried about her." She explained. "That's why I called."

"Is everything alright?" Pilar asked concerned.

"Ya, I'm sure everything's fine but I wanted to pick the kids up from school just to make sure Hallie's day went ok."

"Awww sweetheart, you're such a good mother." Pilar smiled. "Does this mean you won't need me this afternoon?."

"Yeah, is that ok mama? I know how much you love spending time with the twins."

"No, it's fine Mija! I'll see the twins another time." Pilar grinned. "I have something on the stove, so I'll talk to you later. Give the twins my love."

"I will!" Theresa called. "Thanks again!"

She hung up the phone and dialed Fox's number.

"Sexiest man in Harmony, how can I help you?" He answered.

Theresa giggled and shook her head.

"Hi, sweetheart!" she called.

"Sweetheart?" He repeated. "Listen, I don't know who this is but I can't carry on this conversation with you I have a wife and she will kick my ass if she ever found out about you!"

Theresa rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Are you done?" she said to him.

"Um…yeah I'm done now." He laughed. "Hey baby, how's it going?"

"Goooood," she smiled. "I'm just calling to hear your sexy voice and to let you know that you don't have to go to my mother's house to pick up the kids."

"Oh really, and why is that?"

"Because I'm picking them up myself." She simply said.

"Why is something wrong?" He asked alarmed.

"No, don't worry." She assured him. "I was just kinda worried about how Haille's first day went, that's all."

"Baby, you worry too much." Fox laughed. "But that's ok. I have a lot of paperwork to do so there's no point in me working up at the estate tonight."

"So does that mean I'll be seeing you home soon?"

"That's exactly what I mean," he replied in a devilish voice. "And you know…I'm feeling rather energized today."

Theresa just laughed.

"I'll see you when I get home." She simply said.

"I'm counting on it." He replied, lowering his tone. "Have I ever told you that you have the most sexiest laugh?"

"Bye, Fox!" she giggled.

"Bye beautiful!" He smiled, hanging up the phone.

Just as he stopped at a red light, the phone rang once more.

"Couldn't get enough of me huh?" He answered, expecting to hear her sweet voice.

"Fox, it's me Ethan." The male voice sounded through the receiver.

"Oh hey Ethan, sorry I thought you were Theresa."

"I guessed that." Ethan smiled. "But hey, I called to tell you something really important."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Fox asked, noticing the line suddenly filling with static.

"You'll never guess who came by the mansion earlier?" Ethan began. "Destiny!"

"What, Ethan? I'm sorry I didn't get that last part." Fox said, pressing the phone to his ear. "Who came by the mansion?"

"Destiny! You're ex!" Ethan yelled over the static.

"I'm sorry dude, I can't hear you! The phone's breaking up!" Fox yelled back. "I'll have to give you a call later!"

All he could hear was a lot of static in response and then the line went dead.

"Well that was weird." He said to himself. "Oh well, I'll just talk to him later."

He fixed his eyes on the road and headed straight for home.

------------------------------

Theresa continued to stir the sauce in the pot as Haille and Alex continued with their story.

"It was so much fun mommy!" Haillie excitedly spoke. "We made a huge picture of a rainbow and a sunset! My teacher said she really liked it!"

"Yeah, and I made such a huge tower!" Alex interrupted. "It was so big, it almost went through the roof!"

"Really?" Theresa laughed. "That must have been some tower!"

"It was!" He giggled. "It was so cool!"

Just then the phone rang, and Theresa went to answer it."

"Don't touch this pot you guys, it's hot!" She called over her shoulder. "I'll be right back:

Seconds after, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Haille excitedly ran to the door.

When she opened it, a beautiful lady stood on the front porch.

"Why hello there!" She sweetly said.

"Hi," Haillie shyly relied.

Destiny bent down to the little girl's level.

"Aren't you beautiful!" she said, noticing the familiar look in her eyes.

"Haille sweetie, you know you're not supposed to answer the door by yourself." Theresa appeared in the doorway. "Hi, may I help you?"

"I'm sorry, I must have the wrong house," Destiny apologetically smiled.

"That's ok," Theresa politely grinned. "Who were you looking for? Maybe I can help."

"That's very kind of you." Destiny smiled, taken aback by her graciousness. "I'm looking for someone named Foxwarth Crane."

"Fox?" Theresa looked at her. "No, you have the right house! I'm Fox's wife, Theresa!"

Destiny opened her mouth to say something, but no sound came out.

_Did she just say what I think she just said? _She worriedly thought to herself. _No, no she couldn't have._

Destiny stared into the beautiful woman's eyes and swallowed a lump that had risen in her throat.

_Please God, don't let it be true! Fox can't be married!_


	8. Chapter 7

**CH 7**

"Are you ok?" Theresa looked at the young woman concerned. "You don't look so good."

Destiny suddenly felt like she was going to pass out. The shocking words still lingered in her memory as she closed her eyes.

_I'm Theresa, Fox's wife._

"No!" She whispered underneath her breath.

"What was that?" Theresa asked, but shook her head quickly. "Never mind. Why don't you come inside and I'll get you a glass of water."

Destiny walked into the beautiful home as Theresa closed the door behind her.

"Have a seat, I'll be right back." She told her, disappearing into the kitchen.

Destiny slowly sat down and let her eyes wander around the living room.

It was absolutely breath-taking! Although, it wasn't as large as the mansion, it still screamed expensive taste. The walls were painted ivory and blended beautifully into the cream-colored carpet that flowed throughout the entire room. Every piece of furniture glowed in a rich mahogany wood, which gave the living space a very warm feeling to it. Three ceiling to floor windows surrounded the room, drawing special attention to the exquisite ceiling fixture above and the incredible view overlooking the town.

Suddenly Destiny's eye directed her attention to three photos hanging on the wall. She stood up from the couch and walked over to them. One was a picture of two beautiful children. The other was one of Fox and Theresa and the last one was of the four of them.

"Oh my god, it's true!" She whispered to herself, staring at Fox's handsome face. "Not only is he married, but he has children too!"

Destiny put a hand to her mouth as she let out a small whimper. Suddenly she felt a presence in the room. She spun around to find the little girl she had seen earlier standing before her.

"Why are you crying?" She softly asked, coming towards her.

"Oh, I'm not crying sweetie. I just have something in my eye." She lied, sitting back down.

The little girl sat beside her and stared at her face.

"You're pretty," she finally said.

"Well, so are you." Destiny smiled, touching her nose lightly. "What's your name?"

"Haille," she answered.

"That's a beautiful name." She grinned. "I'm Destiny."

"I like that name." Haille smiled.

Destiny stared into her eyes and noticed how much she strikingly resembled Fox. Even her tiny nose matched the familiar features of the man she once and still loved.

"Here you go," Theresa suddenly entered the room, handing Destiny the glass of water.

"Thank you." She smiled, taking a sip. "I'm feeling much better now."

"Oh, I'm so glad." Theresa grinned. "I see you've met Haille."

"Yes, she's very beautiful!" Destiny smiled. "She looks so much like Fox."

"Yeah, she pulled all of his looks!" Theresa laughed. "Our son more looks like me."

"Is that him in the picture?" Destiny pointed to the photo on the wall.

"Yes! That is him!" Theresa grinned. "They're twins."

"I see," She politely smiled. "Well they're both very beautiful children."

"Aww, thank you." Theresa beamed, looking over at her daughter. "Haille honey, why don't you go play with Alex for a while?"

"Ok mommy," Haille obediently left the room.

"So, you're friends with Fox?" Theresa turned to her. "I'm sorry, I didn't even catch your name."

"Oh, forgive me. I should have introduced myself." She apologized. "I'm Destiny."

"That's so strange," Theresa tried to recall. "Fox has never mentioned you."

Destiny immediately felt like she had been stabbed in the heart.

"Well, we haven't spoken or seen each other in a while." She managed to say. "We knew each other in school."

"Oh, then you must know Dylan." Theresa looked at her.

"Why, yes I do." Destiny frowned. "Fox told you about Dylan?"

"Yeah," Theresa smiled. "They're pretty close."

_So were we. _Destiny thought to herself.

"Well, Fox should be home any time now—" Theresa began to say, as she heard the faint jingling of keys. "Actually, that just might be him."

Destiny suddenly felt a million butterflies fill her insides. She quickly straightened her skirt and fixed her hair.

"Honey, I'm home!" Fox bellowed from the door.

"Hi baby, I'm in here!" Theresa called from the living room.

"Whose car is out in the front?" He asked, stepping into the room. "Do we have compa—"

Fox stopped and suddenly felt his face turn pale, as he stared at the beautiful woman in the living room.

"Destiny?" He whispered, feeling every muscle in his body tense up.

"Fox," She smiled, staring into his piercing brown eyes.

A flow of memories suddenly came rushing back to her as they continued to stare at one another.

Theresa looked from Destiny to her husband, feeling the atmosphere in the room suddenly grow intense. She stared at Fox's pale face, noticing that he never took his eyes off Destiny since he walked into the room.

"Baby?" She softly called to him, without a response.

Theresa slowly stood up and walked over to him, placing a hand on his back.

"Fox!" She said louder. "What's wrong with you?"

"What?" He blinked as though he had just awakened from a trance. "What did you say?"

"I said what's wrong?" She looked at him oddly. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"No," Fox laughed nervously. "I'm just surprised that's all."

"Destiny, says you two knew each other in school." Theresa smiled at her.

"Yeah," He simply said, running a hand through his hair. "We um…dated back then."

"You two dated?" Theresa softly asked, looking at Destiny.

"Yeah," Fox cleared his throat. "I'm really thirsty, excuse me."

He hurried into the kitchen, leaving the two women in the living room.

Fox nervously paced back and forth as he rubbed his hands together.

_What is she doing here? _He thought to himself. _Oh man, Theresa's gonna kill me. _

He walked over to the sink and splashed cold water on his face.

_Wait a minute. _He lifted his head. _You didn't do anything! Destiny just showed up. It's not like you lied to Theresa. You just forgot about her! _

He opened the fridge door and looked inside.

_Give me a break! Theresa's not going to believe that! _He slammed the door, placing his head in his hands.

_I wonder how much Destiny told her._

He pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table.

"Fox," He whispered to himself. "You are a _dead_ man!"


	9. Chapter 8

**CH 8**

Fox continued to rub his temples as he sat quietly at the table. Suddenly he heard someone come through the kitchen doors.

"I don't believe this!" Theresa whispered annoyingly. "What are you doing in here?"

Fox quickly stood up and looked into his wife's eyes.

"I just wanted to get some water." He told her.

Theresa looked around the kitchen unimpressed.

"So where's the water?" She stared at him in disbelief.

"I um…drank it?" He fumbled, avoiding her eyes.

"Fox, do you think I'm stupid!" She put her hands on her hips.

"No," he quickly said.

"So can you please tell me why you're acting so weird?" She looked into his eyes. "Destiny is in our living room right now and you haven't so much as even said hello to her!"

Fox turned his back on her.

"I'm just surprised to see her." He mumbled.

"Really?" Theresa stared at him. "Is that all that it is? Because it seems like a whole lot more than that!"

"What?" He turned around. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Fox, you're obviously not comfortable with her being here and I want to know why." She looked into his eyes. "Clearly she gets underneath your skin, which leads me only to assume that you still have feelings for her."

"Ok, now you're being ridiculous!" He walked passed her.

"Am I?" Theresa asked him. "Fox, I saw the way you looked at her. It was like you saw the love of your life for the first time."

"Theresa—"

"No," she stopped him. "You can't hide it Fox. It's written all over your face! Destiny still means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

Fox just looked at her, almost stunned by how much she was able to read off of him.

"You're not saying anything," She frowned at him.

"I don't know what to say." He simply said. "You're right, Destiny _did_ play a major part in my life. But _that_ was in the past. It's no big deal now."

"It's no big deal?" Theresa repeated, feeling herself grow angry. "If it wasn't such a big deal then why didn't you ever tell me about her?"

"I didn't think it was important—" He began.

"How can you say that?" She yelled. "I thought we told each other everything!"

"We do—" He told her, but was interrupted by a knock on the kitchen door.

"I'm sorry," Destiny poked her head in. "Is everything alright? I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"No, don't be silly!" Theresa quickly spoke. "There's no need to apologize, everything's fine! I just have some work that I have to finish up so you'll have to excuse me."

She walked passed Fox without looking at him and headed toward the door.

"It was really nice meeting you Destiny," She smiled, before leaving the room.

"Theresa, baby—" Fox called after her but she had already left.

Destiny watched as he slumped into the chair, resting his head in his hands.

"Fox, I—" She began.

"Destiny, why are you here?" He interrupted, turning around to face her.

"Excuse me?" She looked at him, taken aback by his rudeness.

"Why are you in Harmony?" He stared at her. "You and I haven't seen or talked to each other in so long. Why would you just suddenly show up?"

Destiny just stood there, unable to say a word.

"Well, um I came to see you," she managed to say. "I didn't think it would be a problem."

"You didn't think it would be a problem?" Fox raised his voice. "Destiny, I'm married with two kids!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?" She shot back.

"What did you think that I would just be hanging around Harmony?" He narrowed his eyes.

"Well I'm sorry!" Destiny shouted, close to tears. "I guess I shouldn't have come then!"

Fox watched as she hurried out of the kitchen, obviously hurt by his words. Instantly a feeling of guilt swept over him, as he followed her out the door.

"Des, wait!" He called, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She reluctantly turned around to face him.

"You know, back when we were together I've heard you say some pretty horrible things to people, but never to me." She looked at him coldly. "You were always so charming with me. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that you would ever treat me with such disrespect."

"I'm sorry Destiny." Fox sincerely looked her in the eyes. "It's just—"

He held his head in his hands and leaned back against the wall.

"Look, I understand that to see me after all these years is a shock for you." She admitted. "But I never meant to cause any trouble between you and Theresa."

The sound of her name instantly brought tears to his eyes.

"She's really upset with me right now." He whispered. "She's mad because I never told her about you."

"Wow, did I mean that little to you?" Destiny rolled her eyes.

"No, you don't understand—" He began.

"It's ok Fox, you don't have to explain—" she put up her hand.

"No, I do." He interrupted her. "You deserve an explanation for _everything_."

Fox looked at her with serious eyes as he emphasized the last word.

"Ok," Destiny smiled.

"Tomorrow, you and I can go somewhere and we can talk." He promised. "We'll just get everything out in the open."

"I'd really like that Fox," She looked into his eyes.

He breathed out a heavy sigh as he stared up at the stairwell.

"There's something that I have to do right now, so—" Fox began.

"Oh, yeah sure." Destiny put a hand on his arm. "Go talk to her."

"Alright, thank you." He winked at her as he held the door open. "So, tomorrow?"

"For sure," She smiled. "Good luck and I'm really sorry again."

"Don't worry about it," He shook his head. "Have a good night."

"You too, goodnight." Destiny grinned and stepped off the house porch.

As Fox closed the door, he took another glance towards the stairs.

_Just be honest with her_. He thought to himself. _You guys have been through a lot. There's nothing she won't understand._

"God, I hope so." He said out loud, and slowly made his way up the stairs.


	10. Chapter 9

**CH 9**

Fox felt his heartbeat increase as he put his hand on the doorknob to his and Theresa's bedroom.

_It'll be fine._ He told himself. _Just be honest._

He softly knocked on the door before slowly opening it. Theresa sat on the bed with her laptop open in front of her. She looked so beautiful yet so upset. Her body seemed very tense as she angrily typed away at the keys on the computer.

"Theresa?" He began. "We need to talk."

She didn't even look up at him. She just continued to type, not taking her eyes off the computer screen.

"Theresa, come on." Fox sighed as he came closer to the bed. "Can you talk to me please?"

"I have nothing to say to you Fox." She finally said. "You made yourself pretty clear downstairs."

"That's just it though, I didn't make myself clear at all." He told her, pulling a nearby chair to the side of the bed.

Theresa looked up at him and saw the pain reflected in his eyes. She sighed and closed the laptop.

"I'm listening." She simply said.

Fox let out a deep sigh and rubbed the side of his temples.

"This is really hard for me Theresa," he began. "It's mostly difficult because I forced myself to forget this part of my life for so long. First of all, I just want you to know that I never intentionally meant to keep this from you. It's just that this happened so long ago and it—it was just so hard…"

"Fox," Theresa looked at him with concerned eyes. "Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm your wife."

"I know," he smiled at her.

He took a deep breath and continued.

"Destiny and I dated before I came to Harmony. We dated for about 6 months off and on. I know what you're thinking—how could I forget someone who I dated for six months? The thing is, even though we were dating I still messed around with other girls. I didn't really think that we were that serious because at the time, I didn't know _what_ a serious relationship was. It wasn't until Destiny told me one night that she went to the doctor and he said that she was pregnant, that I _really_ woke up. At the time we were only seventeen, so as you can imagine I freaked out when she told me she was pregnant. It was simple; I wasn't ready to be a father and I was scared. Even though we were both young, she seemed kind of happy to be a mother. But I thought she was just confused because everything was happening so fast. I mean, we were only seventeen! What did we know about being parents? So I told Destiny that we couldn't keep the baby—she needed to have an abortion."

Fox stopped speaking and put his head in his hands.

"You forced her to have an abortion?" Theresa finally said, not believing the words that came out of her husband's mouth.

"I'm not proud of it Theresa," he looked up at her. "But at the time, I thought it was the best thing to do. Anyways, after a few months after the abortion things were awkward between us. She didn't seem like she wanted to be near me and I just couldn't believe that the whole ordeal happened. So one night, I decided to just leave. I left her a note, explaining why I had to leave and I took a flight back to Harmony. I know now that it was selfish of me to leave her but I was a coward back then. I just wanted to go away and leave it all behind me. But I promised myself that if I ever got involved with anyone else again, things would be different. I just got tired of treating women like crap—I wanted to have a _real_ relationship with someone who I could love and who would love me."

Theresa looked at her husband and let out a small sigh. She just couldn't believe how much she didn't know about Fox. It was like he lived a completely knew life before he met her, and all this time he was keeping it buried inside of him.

"I can't believe you never told me any of this Fox." She said softly, standing in front of him.

"I didn't mean to Theresa." He looked at her. "I honestly just erased her from my memory. It was just too painful to remember her and—our unborn child. Destiny and I never talked again after I left for Harmony. I just convinced myself that she hated me for what I did to her and I never had the guts to call her after all these years."

Fox cupped Theresa face in his hands.

"Then I met you." He smiled lovingly at her. "When there was the possibility that I might be the father of the twins, it blew me away. It was as if I was being given a second chance to be a different person—a good person—someone who was not like my father or grandfather. I wanted to be a man who loved his kids and would do anything for them. I wanted to be a loving husband and take care of my family. I just wanted to start a new chapter in my life –one that did not involve all the painful memories that I had with Destiny and our unborn baby."

"Wow," Theresa sighed as she looked into Fox's eyes. "I can't believe all that happened and you never talked to Destiny until now."

"I know," Fox walked over to the window. "Now you know why I reacted the way that I did. When I saw her it was like all the memories came rushing back."

"You should have told me," Theresa stroke the side of his face. "But I'm glad you finally did. We're a team Fox, and I just want you to know that."

"I know," He sighed, kissing the inside of her palm. "I'm so sorry that I kept this from you. Can you ever forgive me?"

Theresa smiled at his puppy dog face.

"Yes," she murmured standing on her toes to kiss him. "You are forgiven my love. Let's just not let anything come between us again."

"Never," Fox promised as he leaned and tenderly kissed the lips of the woman that he loved.

Theresa closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt in her husband's strong arms.

_I want to believe that nothing will come between us again_ _Fox. _She thought to herself._ However, with Destiny now in the picture I have a terrible feeling that this is only the beginning._

**A/N:**

Hey everyone! It's me Alicia! I decided to continue writing chapters for this story. Sorry for the long wait, but dont worry I have lots of ideas ready to be spilled out on paper. I'm sure you will love what I have cooked up for our couple THEROX. Now, I cant promise you it will all be good, but it will surely keep you on your toes. So dont forget to RR, I love hearing your comments as I write! Take Care and stay tuned for the next chapter! :)


	11. Chapter 10

**CH 10**

Fox gently pushed open the glass doors of _Le Café du Soleil_. He smiled and looked around the familiar setting of the café as he remembered the first time he walked through the front doors. He was of course not alone at that time because Theresa had been there with him.

"That seems like decades ago." He said to himself softly. "Theresa was so sad and hurt by Ethan back then. Who knew we'd be where we are today?"

Fox smiled at his last statement because secretly he always knew in the back of his mind that Theresa was the one for him. It was just a matter of time before she had realized the same. He glanced back at the little booth in the corner by the window and envisioned the two of them as they had been sitting there that warm summer afternoon.

"Hey Fox!" A familiar voice brought him back to reality.

Fox turned around to find Gwen and Hank standing before him.

"Hey you two," he smiled at them. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just going to ask you the same thing!" Gwen hugged him. "Is Theresa here?"

"Uh, no actually" he blinked his eyes, trying to remember why he was there in the first place. "Theresa is at Pilar's with Whitney. I'm just waiting for a friend. We're supposed to be meeting here in a few minutes."

"Oh, ok" Gwen smiled. "How are those adorable twins doing?"

"Oh, they're great!" Fox smiled, as he handed them his wallet to see a picture of them. "Actually just yesterday it was their first day of kindergarten."

"Are you serious?" Hank grinned looking at the photo. "My god, they're getting so big!"

"I know," Fox agreed. "Theresa and I can barely believe it ourselves sometimes. They're spending the afternoon with their Uncle Ethan and Aunt Paloma."

"Aww that should be fun!" Gwen giggled, handing back the wallet. "Hank and I are just going to grab some ice caps for our walk. It's so beautiful this morning!"

"Oh I know, it's gorgeous!" Fox smiled. "Well, it was nice seeing you two. Enjoy your walk!"

"We will!" Gwen smiled up at Hank. "Tell Theresa Ill give her a call this week! Take Care!"

Fox waved them goodbye as he sat at a nearby table. He peered down at his watch and wondered where Destiny was. This morning they were supposed to meet up and talk like he promised her last night. He was a little nervous because they hadn't spoken in so long and now…

He was just about to finish his thought when the bell on the front door chimed in the air. Fox felt his palms suddenly get moist as the familiar face walked into the café. Destiny looked around the room and smiled when her eyes landed on him. Fox stood up as she approached him. Her long legs peered from underneath a knee length blue-flowered sun dress. Her soft hair bounced lightly off her shoulders as she walked towards him.

"Fox!" She exclaimed, giving him a hug. "I'm so sorry I'm late! This place is an absolute maze!"

"No problem," Fox laughed as he breathed in the light scent of her perfume. "You'll get used to Harmony."

They quietly sat down as Destiny took a moment to look at the man she once loved.

_He is absolutely breath-taking! _She thought to herself.

When he hugged her, the feeling of his arms wrapped around her sent a thousand memories rushing to her mind. He still had the warm smile that made her heart melt every time he looked at her and his strong features still held that charm that she remembered all those years. Even his gorgeous brown eyes still sparkled with love and admiration.

_That love and admiration is probably not for you anymore Des. _She sadly thought to herself. _Remember, he's married now—with kids. _

She uncomfortably shifted in her seat and smiled up at him.

Fox nervously pondered how to start their conversation but the awkward silence that stood between them was overbearing.

Just then a woman walked by with her baby crying in a stroller. The woman struggled to calm the infant and as she lifted the child out of the stroller, a small blanket fell to the ground. Fox watched as Destiny quickly got up to pick the blanket from the floor and handed it to the mother.

"Excuse me miss," She softly said. "You dropped this."

"Oh, thank you." The woman sweetly smiled, taking the blanket. "She's just been so fussy this morning."

Destiny smiled at the little infant and gently rubbed her chubby hand.

"There, there" she softly cooed. "It's alright."

Fox smiled as the little baby girl looked up at Destiny. Her cries now fell to soft sniffles.

"Wow," the woman smiled at Destiny. "You sure have the touch. Are you a mom too?"

Fox instantly felt a pain of guilt in his stomach and he watched Destiny's face fill with sadness.

"No," she simply shook her head as the woman smiled and slowly walked away with the infant.

Destiny returned to her seat and sighed, never taking her eyes off of the child.

"She was beautiful wasn't she?" She finally looked at Fox.

"Yeah, she was." He stared into her eyes. "Destiny, I'm so sorry."

Destiny didn't say anything because she knew what he was referring to.

"I know that if it wasn't for me and what I selfishly asked you to do all those years ago, you would probably have a child of your own." He looked down at the ground.

"We both would have." She looked up at him. "But it's alright Fox, we were both y—"

"No," He interrupted her. "It's not alright. What I did was selfish and cowardly. Yeah, we were both young but that doesn't excuse my actions."

Fox watched as tears filled Destiny's eyes as she looked out the window.

"I was really upset when I found that letter." She finally spoke. "For a while I just kinda cried and cried, not really believing that you left."

She paused as Fox guiltily looked down at the ground.

"I just kept thinking, why—why wouldn't he just stay? We could have gotten through it together." Destiny continued, not really looking at his face. "For months even the sight of a little baby sent me into a whirl of tears. I couldn't even hear one cry or laugh because it would just make me think about—"

Fox felt a lump rise in his throat as he thought about the child that the two of them could have brought into the world.

"God, I feel like such a jerk." He finally said. "And I know I definitely behaved like one."

He stopped as he heard his own voice change. Hot tears stung his eyes as he struggled to continue.

"I was just so scared." He said in a whisper. "When you told me that you were pregnant all I could think was, my god I can't bring a kid into this world. Look at the kind of father my dad was to me? He probably didn't even care what I was doing at that moment and Alistair was no better a father to Julian. It was just a train wreck of bad fathers and I didn't think I could be any better."

Destiny watched through her own tears as Fox wiped his eyes repeatedly, the tears just spilling down his cheeks. She had never seen him cry. For all those years, she always thought that Fox never cared about the baby—never thought about it. But it was so evident that he did.

"I think you would have been a great father, Fox." Destiny smiled as she held his hands in hers. "You're nothing like your father and grandfather."

"Wouldn't you say I was though?" He looked at her. "I mean, look at what I did to you. It was a cold-hearted and selfish thing to ask of you—something that only my grandfather or father would have asked."

"But Fox, even right at this very moment I can see how much it hurt you to ask me to do that." Destiny lightly rubbed her thumb over his. "That just shows me that you're nothing like them."

"I'm just so sorry," Fox put his head down to rest on his hands.

"I know you are." Destiny gently put her hand on his head. "I know."

The two of them just sat there in silence as the faint sound of an infant's cry rang in the air from across the room.

--

"I just can't believe he never told me about this." Theresa said to her mother and Whitney.

The three ladies were in the kitchen drinking tea, while Theresa told them about her conversation with Fox the night before.

"Mija, I know you're upset." Pilar looked at her daughter. "Even I find it difficult to believe that Fox would keep such an important think from you."

"Yeah," Whitney agreed. "Having a child with Destiny and then telling her to abort it? That's terrible!"

"I know," Theresa walked over to the sink. "But you should have seen his face when he told me. It was just filled with so much pain and regret. I've never seen him like that."

"Well speaking from a mother's point of view, losing a child is not an easy thing." Pilar said. "When Antonio disappeared all those years ago I felt like a piece of me was gone too."

Theresa went over to her mother's side.

"And you've always lighted a candle for him." Theresa looked over by the window at the two candles on the sill—one for her brother and one for her father.

"I know that one day God will bring my son and husband back to me." Pilar looked at the candles. "But aside from that, even though I didn't have an abortion I know what losing a child feels like. So I can't imagine that this is easy on Fox, much less Destiny."

"Destiny seemed nice when she came by the house." Theresa recalled. "But Fox said that they hadn't talked since he left all those years ago. It's strange that she would just show up you know?"

"That _is_ strange." Whitney admitted. "But I think that you need to just focus on Fox right now. He's you're husband and like your mother just said, it can't be easy to feel what he is feeling right now."

"Yeah," Theresa sighed. "If anything ever happened to Hallie or Alex I don't know what I'd do."

Even though Theresa was concerned for Fox, she couldn't shake another feeling of concern in her mind.

_Fox and Destiny had a child together. _She thought to herself. _Even though that child isn't here today, just remembering the baby will no doubt bring them closer. _

The thought worried Theresa.

_What if—_

Right away she stopped herself.

_Don't be silly. Fox loves you. You two have two beautiful children together. Even if he and Destiny bond over their lost child, it doesn't mean that he will leave you for her. Whitney and mama are right. You need to make sure you're husband is alright. _

"Theresa, are you ok?" Whitney's voice brought her back to reality. "You suddenly looked really worried."

"Oh, no I'm fine." Theresa blinked her eyes. "I was just thinking about Fox. But don't worry, as soon as I got home I'm going to talk to him and make sure that he's ok."


	12. Chapter 11

**CH 11**

Theresa slowly blew steady air into a balloon as she kept her eye on Fox on the other side of the living room. Ever since he came home that afternoon, his mind seemed so preoccupied. She wanted to talk to him about Destiny and the baby they had lost all those years ago but every time she tried, something interrupted her. She wasn't even sure where he went that morning. When she had woken up, she found a note saying that he went for a walk. Then when he came home this afternoon, he suggested that it would be a good idea to start decorating the house for the twins' birthday party tomorrow and that's what they were currently doing.

_I really hope there is not more to the story that he is not telling me. _ She thought to herself as she watched him stretch to tape a balloon on the wall. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his leg.

"Be careful honey, you don't want to strain your back." She jokingly smiled up at him, handing him her balloon.

"Ha ha, very funny!" Fox smiled at her. "If I haven't strained anything yet, I don't see why I should now. With some of the positions we get ourselves into, I'm surprised I still walk straight."

"Fox!" Theresa punched him laughing, as she peered around the corner. "We have little ears running around the house!"

"Well," he laughed. "I think its time Hallie and Alex knew how they came into the world."

"I don't think so," Theresa made a face at him.

Fox continued laughing to himself as he came down from the ladder.

Theresa just ignored him and changed the subject.

"So how was your walk this morning?" She asked him.

"Oh, yeah sorry I just left babe, I didn't want to wake you." He began. "But my walk was good. I actually met up with Destiny."

Theresa looked up at him at the sound of Destiny's name.

"Oh really?" she simply said. "You two talked?"

"Yeah," Fox looked at her. "It was good—productive."

Theresa waited for him to continue but he didn't.

"What did you two talk about?"

Fox thought carefully before he continued. He wanted to share developments between him and Destiny with Theresa but he wasn't sure how she would react if she knew just how close the two of them had gotten that afternoon. Bonding over their lost child definitely helped to mend broken ties that once existed between the two of them. The relationship between him and Destiny was a lot better but he was afraid that if he told Theresa about their afternoon, she might think that there was more between the two of them that he was just not telling her about.

"Um, we talked about a lot of things." He began, choosing his words carefully. "Why I left all those years ago, how we both were doing since then, you know…"

Theresa suspiciously looked at him as he talked. There was something that was not right about the way he spoke. For one thing he wasn't really facing her and he just seemed really tense all of a sudden.

"Did you guys talk about the baby?" She blurted out.

Fox immediately felt chills run down his neck at the sound of the word _baby_. He remembered how sad Destiny's face looked when the woman from earlier asked if she was a mother herself.

_You were such a jerk Fox. _ He thought to himself. _I can't believe how much pain I caused her—how much pain I caused the both of us. _

"Fox?"

Theresa's voice brought him back to reality.

"Uh…" he fumbled, trying to remember what she had asked him. "The baby…ya…we talked about it."

"Well, was she upset with you? Did you apologize?" Theresa asked impatiently.

Feeling himself growing annoyed, Fox stepped down from the ladder and looked at her.

"What's with the twenty questions, Theresa?"

"What do you mean?" She blankly looked at him.

"Well, the baby's dead!" Fox snapped at her. "I just don't get why you have such an interest in a kid that's not even here anymore!"

Theresa just looked at him, shocked by how upset he was getting.

"Baby, I'm sorry I don't want to get you angry." She looked at him with confused eyes. "But today mama, Whitney and I were talking and—"

"Wow, so does the entire world know about what I did to Destiny?"

"No," Theresa just stared at him. "Why are you acting like this?"

She watched as Fox let out a deep breath and relaxed his shoulders.

"I just don't want to talk about it, ok Theresa?" He picked up a balloon from the table and began to blow air into it.

Theresa thought back to what her mother had said about how tragic the loss of a child can be for two parents, and wondered if it was the reason for Fox's abrupt mood.

"Honey, I know that losing that baby could not have been easy on you." She began. "I mean, if anything ever happened to either one of our kids, I don't know what I would do."

She walked over to the mantel and picked up the pink glass pony that she had bought for Hallie when she was born. Alex had an identical one only it was tinted in blue.

"Losing a baby is terrible," She continued. "I can't even imagine what Destiny must be feeling now."

"Theresa can you just—" Fox managed to say in between breaths. He could feel his insides getting warmer as he kept blowing into the balloon.

"No Fox, it's important that you know—"

_POP!_

The sound of the balloon popping startled Theresa and the glass figurine she was holding came crashing to the ground.

"Dammit," Fox cursed underneath his breath, as he threw the broken balloon across the room.

Theresa just stared at him in disbelief.

"What is _wrong _with you?!" She raised her voice, as she knelt down to pick up the broken pieces of glass.

"I-I'm sorry!" He sighed frustrated and walked over to her. "Here, let me—"

"I have it!" Theresa put her hand up, as she swept up the glass pieces.

Fox sadly looked down at her and was about to say something else but decided not to.

"I'm going to go get more balloons." He simply said and slowly headed upstairs.

Theresa didn't look up until he left the room.

_What is wrong with him?_ She thought to herself. _I have never seen him act this way. _

"My pony!"

Theresa's thoughts were interrupted by the distraught sound in her daughter's voice. She quickly looked up as Hallie suddenly appeared in the living room.

"What happened to my pony?" She cried as she approached the broken glass.

"No, Hallie!" Theresa yelled as she pulled her daughter away from the glass. "You'll cut yourself sweetie!"

"How did it break?" Hallie sniffled.

"It just did, honey." Theresa tried to remain calm as she picked up the broken pieces.

"But hoooooooow?" Hallie impatiently asked again.

"It just fell out of my hand." Theresa told her, tying the bag with the glass.

"You broke it!?" Hallie cried with tears in her eyes.

"It was an accident, Hallie," Theresa looked over at her.

"I waaaaant my pony! I waaaaaaant my pony!" Hallie jumped up and down.

"Hallie, that's enough!" Theresa frustratingly yelled at her.

Startled by Theresa's sudden response, Hallie ran out of the living room.

"Hallie, sweetie wait!" Theresa apologetically turned to her daughter.

She put her hand to her head out of frustration and sighed.

"Woah!" Fox exclaimed as he caught his very frantic daughter in his arms. "What's going on here?" he asked.

"Mommy broke my pony!" Hallie sniffled. "And then she yelled at meeee!"

Fox looked from his daughter to Theresa and sighed. He knew part of the reason why the figurine broke was because of him.

"Hallie honey, I'm sure mommy didn't mean to break your pony." He looked into his daughter's eyes sympathetically.

"Yes she did!" Hallie cried even harder in her father's arms.

Fox picked up his daughter and soothingly rubbed her back as he turned to go upstairs with her.

"Fox!" Theresa looked at him, not believing that he was _actually_ encouraging their daughter's behaviour.

"I just want to calm her down," He simply said, not really looking at her. "I'll be right back."

Theresa watched as he walked away with their daughter in his arms. She slowly walked over to the sofa and sat down, putting her head in her hands. After a while she raised her head and looked around the half-decorated room.

_I don't care what you say Fox. _She thought to herself. _You are definitely bothered by that baby. I just don't understand why you won't open up to me about it. _

She stood up and walked over to a picture of the two of them hanging on the wall.

"I don't like the way things are going between us Fox," She muttered, staring at his face in the photograph. "But I'm going to do like you asked and drop all the questions—for now."

_Tomorrow is the twins' birthday and I don't want to do anything to ruin it for them. _She thought to herself. _But this is far from being over Fox, believe me. _


	13. Chapter 12

**CH 12**

Theresa smiled as she placed the last candle on one of the birthday cakes.

"There we go!" She grinned over at Whitney. "Five!"

"I cannot believe the twins are already five!" Whiney smiled, putting her last candle in the other cake. "Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that they were learning how to walk?"

"I know it's insane!" Theresa frowned. "I wish they could stay small forever. They are just growing up too fast!"

Whitney opened the refrigerator door and placed the two cakes back onto the shelf.

"Well, they're still pretty young." She continued, joining Theresa at the counter. "They are no doubt still going to need their parents for a lot of things."

"Yeah," Theresa agreed, but frowned while looking off into the distance. "It just seems like they're changing so fast—especially Hallie."

"Come on honey, you can't still be upset about what happened yesterday." Whitney looked at her.

"Well, yeah I am." Theresa sighed, biting her bottom lip. "I mean, I've never seen her get _that_ upset with me before."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much!." Whitney tired to console her. "Hallie is still very young. She's going to throw little fits of anger here and there. It's a part of her growing up. The most important thing is that she knows that she has two amazing parents who love her and would do anything for her."

"Thanks Whit," Theresa smiled at her friend. "This morning she _did_ seem like she kind of forgot about the whole thing. She was way too excited about today."

"See!" Whitney grinned, walking over to the sink. "She probably just needed to blow off some steam. Besides, didn't you say that Fox talked to her already?"

"Yeah, he did." Theresa simply said but Whitney could tell that something else was wrong.

"Ok, what's brothering you?" Whitney looked at her. "I thought you said you worked things out with Fox?"

"Well, he _did_ apologize this morning for what happened yesterday but I don't know. It just bothers me that he got so upset." Theresa sighed.

"Well, maybe he just didn't want to talk about Destiny and the baby like he said." Whitney shrugged her shoulders. "You have to admit Theresa, it's a pretty sensitive subject."

"I know," Theresa looked off into the distance. "But I'm his wife, Whit. Shouldn't we be able to talk about _anything_?"

Whitney nodded, not knowing what else to say.

"Look, I don't want to be the jealous wife but I just feel like the two of them have this _connection_," Theresa continued.

"Well, honey they _did_ lose a child." Whitney looked at her friend. "That's huge!"

"Trust me Whitney, I totally get that." Theresa told her. "I just—"

Whitney watched as Theresa put her head in her hands.

"Honey, what is it?" She asked with concerned eyes.

"I just feel like she's going to come between us." Theresa finally said. "She already has…"

"What do you mean she already has?" Whitney looked at her. "Has she tried to—?"

"No, no nothing like that!" Theresa put her hand up. "She hasn't done anything _directly_. So far she's actually been kinda nice. But I mean, Fox has _never_ lied to me or has had _any_ trouble with talking to me about anything."

She stood up from the stool and walked over to the window. She watched as Fox played with the kids outside.

"But even just yesterday…" She continued. "You should have seen him Whit. It was like he was another person. He was tense and just—just _different_."

"And you think it's because of Destiny?" Whitney looked over at her.

"Well I know that they talked yesterday." Theresa turned to her friend. "Fox said that their relationship was better. Which is good—but…I don't know. Am I being totally paranoid?"

"I think it's important for you to _trust_ yourself," Whitney smiled. "Theresa, we've known each other since we were kids and I've always known you to be really intuitive. However, you're also _very_ emotional and sometimes that can get you into trouble."

"I know," Theresa giggled lightly. "But I look at Fox and I just—see this incredible guy: so warm and gentle and just amazing! Who wouldn't want him? Not to mention that he and Destiny already share a past…"

"Ok, but Theresa I think you are missing a _very_ important factor here." Whitney put her hands on Theresa's shoulders. "Fox _loves_ you. You have two beautiful kids and you're absolutely perfect together."

Theresa smiled as her eyelids brimmed with tears.

"I just don't want anything bad to happen to us." She simply said, feeling herself fill with emotion.

"And nothing will, if you don't let it." Whitney lightly brushed her tear away. "Have some faith in your relationship honey. You and Fox have gotten through worse things. I'm sure you can handle this!"

"You're right Whit." Theresa smiled, letting out a breath of air. "I completely trust Fox and I just need to keep that in focus."

"Exactly," Whitney agreed.

"Wow! Look at me!" Theresa laughed wiping away her tears. "I promised myself that I wouldn't get upset today! It's the twins' birthday!"

"Yes, it is!" Whitney laughed looking over at the window. "The kids are looking a little restless though! I think it may be PINATA time!"

"I think you're right!" Theresa giggled excitedly as she grabbed the blindfold and bat from the corner. "Let's go!"

The two ladies went out to the backyard where everyone was laughing and having a great time. Theresa looked around and smiled at all the familiar faces. Sam and Ivy had come and so did the Russels, Eve and TC. Ethan and Paloma were giving some kids piggyback rides, while Gwen and Hank played with some kids on the see saw with Luis and Sheridan and their son Christopher. Chad and Fox were being piled on by several of the children at the party including Hallie and Alex.

"Alright everyone," Theresa loudly announced. "Who's ready to play some pinataaaaa?"

"YEAH!" All the kids yelled in unison as they crowded around the colourful paper-made donkey, hanging from the tree.

"Ok, so we all know how this works!" Theresa excitedly continued. "All you little leaguers will have a chance to hit the piñata. Now, only one of you will actually be able to break the piñata and we all know what will spill out of it when that happens!"

"CANDY!" All the kids yelled happily.

"That's right!" Theresa giggled.

Fox smiled as he watched her admiringly. He loved how excited she got over things like this.

"Now, who would like to be first?" She asked the crowd of kids.

Several children took turns trying to break the piñata but no one succeeded. Finally it was Alex's turn.

"Ok, baby now are you sure you're ready for this?" Theresa winked at him.

"Yes!" Alex excitedly jumped up and down.

Theresa tied the blindfold across his eyes and made a neat knot in the back of his head. Then she slowly spun him around and directed him to swing as hard as he could, while Whitney pulled the rope attached to the piñata up and down.

Alex excitedly swung the bat and Theresa had to jump out of the way to avoid getting hit.

"Woah!" She exclaimed as everyone chuckled. "That was _too_ close!"

She stood over to the side as she excitedly cheered him on. All of a sudden she felt Fox's strong arms wrap around her. A light scent of his cologne filled the air as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on his chest. She slowly open them up and smiled up at him as he lightly kissed her forehead and joined her in cheering Alex on.

After a few swings Alex gave up and decided that he wanted Hallie to try. Hallie excitedly jumped up and down and waited for Fox to tie the blindfold across her eyes.

"Alighty missy," He smiled at her. "You sure you can handle this?"

"Yes daddy!" Hallie grinned.

"Are you suuuuuuuuuuuuuuure?" He tickled her tummy.

"Yeeeeeees!" Hallie giggled.

Fox slowly spun her around as she swung at the donkey several times. Everyone cheered as Hallie kept at it.

"Come on Hallie, you can do it!" Alex yelled to her.

Everyone smiled and continued to cheer her on.

"That's right sweetie! Give it a good one!" Theresa excitedly cheered.

Suddenly, Hallie gave the bat one full swing and just like that the piñata broke in half sending a ton of candy falling to the ground.

"YEAH!" All the kids yelled as they hurried to pick up the candy.

After the kids picked up all the candy and stuffed them into their little bags, everyone gathered on the blanket set up on the grass for Hallie and Alex to open their gifts. Theresa and Fox let the twins open everyone else's gifts first before presenting them with their own. They had decided that they would both buy a gift for one child, but neither of them knew what the other had bought. Theresa waited for Hallie and Alex to open their last gift from Whitney and Chad before she disappeared into the house to get her gift.

"Alright, it's time for the gifts of the hour!" She giggled, carrying an enormous box out to the backyard.

"Woah! Is that for me?" Alex exclaimed, his eyes widening with curiosity.

"It sure is!" Theresa smiled laying the box in front of him.

"What is it?" He excitedly asked. "A dinosaur? An elephant? A spaaaaaaace ship!?"

"Well open it and find out silly!" Theresa winked at him.

Alex ripped through the paper and grinned with excitement as he slowly realized what the gift was.

"A train set!" He exclaimed. "This is soooooo cool! Look at it! It's got little peeeople, and traaaacks and real traaains!"

"So you like it?" Theresa struggled to keep in her laughter.

"Like it? I love it!" Alex jumped up and ran to Theresa and Fox. "Thanks mommy! Thanks daddy!"

"Very nice," Fox whispered to Theresa as they hugged him.

"Thanks!" She winked at him.

"What about my gift?" Hallie asked, with a frown.

"Put that lip away!" Fox stood up, gently patting her chin. "We were just saving the best one for last!"

He ran to the side of the house and returned with another huge box and a small bag.

As expected, Hallie only saw the larger gift and smiled with excitement as Fox placed it in front of her. After receiving the ok, she quickly tore through the paper and squealed with surprise when she saw what it was.

"A dollhouse!" She exclaimed. "Oh my gosh, it's so big! I could fit a hundred dollies in here!"

"Only a hundred?" Fox jokingly winked at her.

"Daddy!" She rolled her eyes.

"Don't give me that look," Fox amusingly smiled at her. "Or you won't get your other gift…"

"There's more?" Hallie jumped up and down with excitement. "What is it?"

"Well, why don't you open it and find out." Fox grinned, pulling her on his lap so he could help her with the wrapping.

Theresa suspiciously looked on, wondering what the gift was herself.

They had both agreed that each child would get _one_ gift from one parent, so she had no idea what the mysterious gift was.

_What are you up to Fox? _ She gazed at him.

Everyone waited anxiously as Hallie proceeded to unwrap the gift. She carefully pulled the oddly shaped sculpture from the tightly packed box, and peeled back the tissue paper from around it. Her eyes instantly lit up at the sight of the familiar figurine.

"My pony!" she exclaimed.

A hush of pleased sighs were heard from amongst the crowd as everyone smiled at the lovely surprise.

Theresa could not believe her eyes as she stared at the figurine that had once been broken into tiny pieces. She could still hear the loud crash that it had made when it plunged to the ground the night when she and Fox had had their argument.

_How did he--? _Theresa wondered to herself. The glass pony that laid delicately in Hallie's hands scarcely resembled the shattered sculpture from the previous night. Her eyes darted from the figurine and slowly made their way to her husband.

"Oh Fox," she whispered underneath her breath as she realized what he had done. She slowly shook her head from side to side and stared at her husband admiringly.

"Daddy, you fixed my pony!" Hallie cried, throwing her arms around his neck.

Theresa smiled as she continued to watch her husband and daughter. However, instead of Fox returning the hug he brought Hallie close to him and whispered something in her ear. Hallie then turned and looked at her mother, an apologetic expression appearing on her face.

"Mommy, _you_ fixed my pony?" She slowly approached her.

"Uh…well..." Theresa fumbled not really knowing how to respond to the question.

She was about to explain herself, when she heard Fox clear his throat. She looked up at him, and he approvingly nodded at her giving her a small wink.

She tearfully looked back at her daughter, feeling her heart fill with emotion.

"Yeah sweetie, I did!" she simply said. "Do you forgive mommy for breaking it in the first place?"

Hallie just buried her face into her mother's chest, feeling slightly embarrassed by everyone's intense gaze. Theresa held her tightly and slowly rocked her in her arms, as she felt her daughter's warm breath through the fabric of her dress. She gently lifted Hallie's face to hers and kissed the tip of her nose, wiping away the dampness from her cheeks.

"Feel better?" She whispered.

"Mmmm hmmm." Hallie muttered, resting her head on Theresa's shoulder.

"Awww, now wasn't that nice!" Fox loudly announced, trying to draw the attention back to the party. "I think it may be time for some cake, no?"

"YEah!" All the children agreed as Pilar and Whitney slowly carried the two lit cakes outside. They placed them on the table, as everyone gathered around. Theresa and Fox lifted the twins so they could stand on the bench. The bright glow lit up their faces, as they stared intently at the candles.

"Ok, everyone so on the count of three!" Fox yelled. "One….two….three…._Happy Birthday…"_

Everyone joined Fox in singing Happy Birthday, as Theresa hurried into the house to grab the camera. She was just about to return to the back yard when she heard the faint sound of the doorbell ringing.

"Who could that be?" She muttered to herself, darting to the front door.

When she opened it, the large grin on her face instantly faded at the sight of the person standing before her.


	14. Chapter 13

**CH 13**

"Destiny," Theresa finally said, after what felt like an hour of just standing there.

"Hi Theresa!" Destiny grinned, oblivious to the tension that stood between them. "I'm so sorry I'm late!"

"Late?" Theresa repeated confused. "For what?"

"The twins' birthday silly!" She smiled, peering into the quiet house. "It's today isn't it? Oh, no don't tell me I mixed up the days!"

"Uh…no it's today, come on in!" Theresa stepped aside, but still kept her eyes on Destiny.

"Oh, thank heavens!" She exclaimed, walking into the living room. "So where is everyone?"

"Oh, they're in the backyard." Theresa smiled, closing the door behind her. "We decided to have the party back there. You know, with all the kids and everything."

"Of course!" Destiny smiled, thumbing her finger tips on her side.

The two ladies awkwardly stood in the dimply lit living room, as if waiting for one other to make the next move.

"I'm sorry," Theresa blurted out. "But how did you know about the party?"

"Oh!" Destiny placed a hand to her chest. "Forgive me, I thought you were aware. Didn't Fox tell you that I was coming?"

"Uh no…no he must've forgotten." Theresa glanced towards the kitchen door.

"I see," Destiny looked at her. "Well, this is a little awkward isn't it?"

"No, no of course not!" Theresa shook her head apologetically. "The more the merrier!"

She hesitantly led the way to the backyard and slowly pushed the doors open.

"Hey everyone!" She yelled over the crowd. "Look who's here!"

At first no one really said anything, but then Sheridan broke the silence.

"Destiny?" She said, standing up with her son in her arms. "Oh my god! Is it really you?"

"Yes, it is!" Destiny smiled, giving her a hug. "Who's this little guy?"

"Oh, this is Christopher. He's my son." Sheridan smiled, not being able to keep her eyes of Destiny. "I haven't seen you since you and Fox—"

"Yeah…it's been a while." Destiny interrupted her. "You look amazing! No one would almost ever know you had a kid!"

"Gee…thanks Des." Sheridan replied distastefully. "Uh…this is my husband Luis."

Luis stood up to shake Destiny's hand.

"It's nice to meet you Destiny." He smiled, sitting back down.

Everyone else took the time to greet her as she awkwardly smiled and nodded at the familiar and unfamiliar faces.

"Um…Fox," Ivy pulled her son to the side. "Since when did Destiny become a resident in Harmony?"

"Mother, she's just here for a visit." Fox rolled his eyes. He knew his mother never cared for Destiny, ever since they had dated.

"Just a visit?" Ivy sarcastically laughed. "There is no such thing, when Destiny is concerned."

"Can you stop please?" Fox made a face and walked away.

"So this is a surprise huh?" Theresa grabbed his arm as he walked away from Ivy.

"Yeah," he apologetically looked at her. "I'm sorry. I completely forgot to tell you that I invited her to come today."

He searched her eyes for any traces of anger.

"It's ok," she smiled sincerely. "It was nice of her to come."

She rubbed his arm lightly and looked back at Destiny.

"She seems a little uncomfortable don't you think?" Theresa looked up at him.

"Well, let's just say she wasn't a favourite with my family." Fox let out a deep breathe. "She's actually changed quite a bit since we dated."

"Really?" Theresa looked up at him. "How so?"

"Well for once thing—" Fox began. He was about to continue but his attention moved to his daughter.

"Destiny!" Hallie ran to her, giving her a hug.

"Hi sweetie!" Destiny smiled, crouching down to the five-year old's eye level. "Are you enjoying your birthday?"

"Yup!" Hallie bounced. "Mommy and daddy got me a pony and a dollhouse!"

"Wow! That is amazing!" She grinned, feeling another little presence beside her.

"Hi!" Alex said with cake in his mouth. "You look like one of Hallie's Barbies!"

"Well, I've never gotten that before!" She giggled. "You must be Alex!"

"How did yooou know?" He looked at her perplexed.

"Well, I think I saw your handsome face in one of the photos in your house." She winked at him.

"Ohhhhhhhh" He giggled, stuffing another piece of cake in his mouth.

"I see you've met the other little ankle biter," Fox smiled as he and Theresa approached them.

"Yes, he is quite the charmer," Destiny grinned. "Much like his father."

Theresa uneasily shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

"Well, there is lots of cake!" She tried to change the subject. "So help yourself!"

"I actually can't stay for long," Destiny apologetically replied. "But I _did_ want to give you four a surprise!"

"A surprise!" Hallie's face lit up.

"What is it?" Alex piped in. "A giraffe? No wait…an elephant? Or or is it—"

"Eaaaasy there!" Fox placed a hand on his head.

"He's actually pretty close!" Destiny giggled, reaching into her purse. "I just felt so bad for the other day, coming into your home and causing so much trouble. So I heard that there was a circus in town and I decided that the best way for me to apologize would be to get four tickets for you to go!"

"THE CIRCUUUS!" Hallie and Alex both said in unison. "Yippeeeee!"

"I thought you might enjoy it!" Destiny beamed.

"That was really sweet of you Destiny." Theresa smiled, taking the tickets.

"Yeah, this'll be a nice way for us to spend some time together." Fox pulled Theresa into him for a hug.

"Will there be lions there?" Alex looked up at Destiny.

"And tigers?" Hallie added excitedly.

"And bears…oh my!" Destiny finished taking their little hands.

"_Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Lions and tigers and bears oh my!" _The three of them sang happily, as Destiny carried them off to the swing set.

Theresa peered down at the tickets and then up at Destiny and her children.

_Oh my, is right. _She thought to herself. Great, _now our children love her. This is unreal! _

Fox looked over at Theresa and frowned. He stepped behind her and gently massaged her shoulders, kissing her temples.

"Babe, are you sure you're ok that Destiny's here?" He whispered in her ear, sensing that she was uneasy.

"Yeah," she lied still keeping her stare on the three of them. "It was sweet of her to bring the tickets for us."

She paused for a minute and looked down at the ground.

"It's easy to see why you loved her so much." She quietly said. "She's very thoughtful."

Fox let out a sigh and turned her around to face him.

"Theresa, I thought I loved Destiny all those years ago." He began, making sure the she was looking into his eyes. "But the truth is I never really knew what love was until I met you. What we had doesn't even compare to what the two of us share."

Theresa just looked at him, too filled with emotion to speak.

"I'm sorry," she finally sobbed placing her head in his chest. "I'm being so stupid."

"No, you're not." Fox held her close to him, as he lightly combed his fingers through her hair. "I know that Destiny being here is difficult for you and I just really appreciate you being such a good sport about it all. You're amazing!"

"Uh, you're the amazing one!" She looked up at him. "The pony? Fox, I don't know what to say. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," he lightly kissed her lips. "I felt bad. It was my fault that it broke anyway, you know."

"Don't worry about it" She shook her head. "I just can't believe how perfect it looks. There's like not a single scratch on it! How did you do it?"

"Oh, I have my ways." He smirked, rubbing the tip of his chin.

"Well, if it's anything that I know from the time that we've been together, it's that you are full of surprises." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hmmm…well then maybe I can show you a few more surprises later tonight." He flirtatiously looked down at her.

"Mmmm…I think I like the sound of that." She gently pulled his head down toward hers and passionately kissed his lips.

"Higher!" Hallie giggled, pumping her legs on the swing

"Me too!" Alex chimed in.

Destiny gave them each a gentle push, as she returned her gaze to Theresa and Fox. She watched from a distance as they lovingly held each other and a twinge of jealousy struck her insides.

_That should be me._ She thought to herself. _I should be in Fox's arms. _

Suddenly she heard one of the tots crying in the distance and she remembered the special time that she and Fox shared yesterday at the café. They had really made a special connection. It was as if time had stood still for just a moment and the only things of importance were her, Fox and the memory of their baby. A feeling of hope swept over her as she kept her eye on Fox.

"With time my dear," She smiled. "With time."


	15. Chapter 14

**CH 14**

Theresa squinted her eyes as the bright sunlight shone through the bedroom window. The lily white curtains danced lightly in the cool morning breeze and she could hear the faint sound of birds chirping nearby.

"Mmmm," she stretched, turning her body over in the bed.

A small smile crept from the corners of her mouth as she glanced over at Fox sleeping beside her. His soft blonde eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as he stirred in his sleep, the light casting shadows across his face. She carefully leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose.

"I'm going to go make some breakfast," she whispered to him, not really expecting an answer.

He groaned in acknowledgment and rolled away from the sunlight.

Slipping on her robe, she tiptoed out of the room and quietly eased the door closed behind her.

As she made her way downstairs, she reminisced on the night that she and Fox shared. They didn't even get to clean up all the decorations from the party. Fox insisted on showing her some of his hidden surprises.

"Oh Fox," she giggled to herself. "You and your surprises."

She pushed through the kitchen doors and flicked the light on the wall. She thumbed her fingers on the opened refrigerator door and peered in at the food on the shelves.

"What to make for breakfast?" She mumbled to herself.

"Blueberry pancakes?" A little voice was heard from the doorway.

"Alex, what are you doing up?" Theresa turned to him. "It's only 6:30 in the morning?"

"I know!" He giggled, rubbing his eye and hopping onto the stool. "But I heard you get up and I reeeeally wanted blueberry pancakes."

"Well, they _are_ your favourite." She winked at him, crouching down to get a large mixing bowl from the lower cupboard.

She brought the bowl, eggs, and other ingredients to the counter and handed him a large mixing spoon.

"Do you want to help?"

"Yeah!" His eyes lit up as he took the spoon in his chubby hand.

"Oh wait," Theresa stopped. "Did your sister wake up with you? Because I know she would love to help us."

"Nope," Alex shook his head carelessly. "She's still sleeping."

"Alright then!" Theresa pinned her hair up in a lose ponytail. "Let's get to it!"

They spent the next half hour mixing, stirring, frying, and even doing a little tasting. When they were done, the kitchen looked like a disaster, with flour EVERYWHERE!

"We made a biiiiiiiig mess!" Alex looked around the kitchen and squinted his eyes at the mess that he didn't want to help clean.

"If we do it together it won't seem like such a big job." Theresa smiled, sensing his reluctance.

"Mmmmok!" He slowly said, hiding his face with his hands.

As the two of them starting to tidy up, Hallie waltzed into the kitchen.

"What's going on?" She mumbled with a despondent expression on her face.

"Oh, good morning sweetie!" Theresa turned to her. "You're brother and I made delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast!"

"But Alex aaalways gets to help!" Hallie whined. "Never me!"

"Baby, that is _not_ true, just last weekend you helped me make eggs." Theresa replied, shutting off the water so she could give her full attention. "I'm sorry that you didn't get to help today, but you were sleeping this morning. Your brother was awake and so that's why he got to help me."

"But it's not fair!" Hallie wailed, looking as though she was minutes away from a tantrum.

Theresa quickly came over to her side and crouched down to her eye level.

"Ok, Hallie what is the problem here?" She sternly but soothingly asked her.

Hallie took a few moments to mope before her eyes slowly welled up with tears.

Theresa picked her up in her arms and gave her a little bounce.

"Oh my Hallie Ballie, what am I going to do with you?" She looked into her eyes and gave her a puppy-dog face. "You've been so moody lately babe."

Hallie just continued to mope, trying her best not smile.

"Ok, I tell you what." She paused, waiting for her daughter to look up at her. "You and I will do something special very soon. It'll be just the two of us and you get to pick what you want to do."

"Can we ride on the merry-go-round until we get dizzy at the circus?" She softly said, a small smile creeping from her lips.

"You mean dizzy like this?" Theresa smiled, spinning Hallie around in her arms. "You bet!"

"Hey! What's all this giggling in here?" Fox poked his head into the kitchen. "I thought I said no giggling is allowed without me in the room!"

He scooped up Alex and took a bite of his pancake from his fork.

"Heeeeey!" Alex whined, stuffing the left over piece of pancake in his mouth.

"Heeeeeeey!" Fox repeated mockingly placing him back down on the stool.

He kissed Theresa on her cheek and gave Hallie a little squeeze before getting a glass from the cupboard.

"Hallie and Alex, go on and wash up for breakfast." Theresa told them, putting Hallie down.

When they left the room, she tiptoed behind Fox and slowly slid her arms around his strong stomach.

"Sleep well?" She purred in his ear, slipping between him and the sink.

She hopped up onto the counter and wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer to her.

"Mmmmm, yes I did." He murmured kissing her neck. "You were amazing last night."

"Ditto," she smiled staring teasingly at his lips before kissing them.

"So how come you got up so early?" He playfully tapped her on her behind, as she hopped down from the counter.

"Well you didn't look like you were going to be moving any time soon, so I decided to come down to make breakfast." She looked back at him.

"Ah, I see. Good choice." He winked, popping a blueberry in his mouth.

"It was Alex's idea." She smiled, arranging the plates on the table. "Speaking of which, have you noticed that Hallie's been acting a little funny these days?"

"What do you mean?" He leaned against the counter.

"Well, this morning she totally went into this little tantrum just because she didn't get to make the pancakes with me." She placed a finger to her chin. "She's just so _moody _lately."

"It's probably some weird five-year old thing." Fox replied, coming over to her. "We never really had trouble with her when she was in her 'terrible twos'. Maybe this is payback."

Theresa giggled as he pulled her on his lap and nuzzled his nose in her neck.

"Don't worry about Hallie." He mumbled, as he heard the kids coming back into the kitchen. "She's just growing up."

"I hope you're right," Theresa sighed slipping off his lap.

She helped the kids up on their chairs before taking her own on the other side of the table.

"Oh, baby I don't know if I remembered to tell you but I have to go into work for a bit this morning." She looked over at Fox.

"Yup, that's no problem." He said in between bites. "I have to work up at the Mansion for a while anyway."

"I'll call you when I'm finished so we can pick up the kids from Pilar's and then we can all go to the circus!" She smiled, taking a sip of her coffee.

"YEEEEAAH!" Hallie and Alex shouted in unison. "Circus! Circus!"

"Oooooook you guys," Theresa giggled lightly. "Eat up so you can go spend the morning with your Abuela."

"YEEEAAH!" They shouted again, giggling as Fox made a face at them.


	16. Chapter 15

**CH 15**

"Excuse me, would I be able to get this in a size six please?"

The young woman asked holding up a green and white sundress.

"Uh yeah, just one moment please." Theresa briefly looked at her before returning her attention to the phone. "Claire's, how may I help you?"

"Um excuse me miss," The young girl interrupted Theresa again. "I'm kinda in a rush!"

"Sorry, can you hold please?" She told the client on the phone. "Sorry about that. What size did you say again?"

"A six," the young girl tapped her foot impatiently.

"It's ok Theresa, I'll handle this one." Whitney came rushing over, taking the girl to the far end of the store.

"Thanks Whit!" Theresa called over her shoulder, returning to the phone. "Hi there, yes we carry the chiffon dress in a turquoise, red, white, and black. Which colour were you looking for?"

"Miss, do you have the new Paris Hilton perfume?" A young girl asked, interrupting Theresa once more.

"Uh…" she fumbled as she craned her neck to check.

"Aisle number two sweetie," Whitney replied, squeezing behind the desk next to Theresa.

Theresa mouthed a 'thanks' while she finished up her phone call.

"Alright then, so the dress will be put on hold until tomorrow and when you come in you can ask for Theresa or Whitney. Thanks a lot. Bye." She hung up the phone and slouched her shoulders, taking a moment to breathe.

"This place is insane!" Whitney looked over at her. "I don't think Claire's has ever been this busy."

"Oh my gosh, I know!" Theresa placed a hand to her head.

She looked up at the clock and let out a heavy sigh.

"I told Fox that I would only be here for a while. I didn't think it would be this outrageous!" She crouched down under the desk and pulled out her cell phone from her bag."

"Isn't today the circus?" Whitney asked, flipping through some inventory sheets.

"Yeah," Theresa sadly began dialling Fox's number. "I don't think I will be able to make it."

"Oh boy, Hallie will take that well." Whitney mumbled sarcastically looking up at her.

Theresa gave her a worried look as she held the phone to the side of her head, the repetitive ring humming in her ear.

"Hey babe," Fox answered the other extension.

"Hi sweetie," she sadly replied but smiled at the sound of his voice.

"What's up, you don't sound so good." He asked concerned.

"It's work." She began, looking around the overly crowded store. "Whitney and I are killed here. The store has _never_ been this busy before!"

"Uh oh." His voice deepened, as he quickly picked up on what Theresa was hinting at.

"Yeah," she muttered as a picture of her daughter's unhappy face flashed in her head.

"Don't worry babe," Fox reassuringly spoke in the receiver. "I'm sure once the kids see all the animals they'll be ok. Work is important."

"I'm just worried about Hallie," Theresa frowned, thinking back to the promise she made that morning.

"She'll be ok." Fox tried to sound convincing. "I'll make sure of it."

"Are you sure you'll be ok with the two of them." Theresa worriedly looked off into the far distance. "They can get pretty crazy."

"More crazier than me?" He left the question hanging and lightly chuckled. "I'll be fine. I'll see you later on tonight."

"Alright," Theresa sighed. "I love you."

"Love you too." Fox smiled, hanging up the receiver.

He let out a deep sigh knowing that Hallie wasn't going to like the news he was about to give her.

"Ah well," he shrugged grabbing his car keys from the table. "She's five, how mad can she possibly get?"

--

"But she promised!" Hallie yelled at the top of her lungs, her voice ringing throughout her grandmother's once serene home. "It's not fair! I'm not going!"

The tears copiously ran down her face as she tore away from her father's embrace.

"Baby, come on!" Fox called after her as she ran up the wooden stairs.

He ran a hand through his hair as he felt Alex wrap his arms around his leg.

"Are we still gonna go daddy?" He looked up at him worried.

"Of course buddy!" Fox crouched down to his eye level. "We just need to find a way to convince your sister to come."

He was about to head up the stairs when Pilar stopped him.

"It's ok Fox I'll go talk to her." She reassuringly placed a hand on his back. "Come on Alex, you can help me."

"Thanks Pilar," Fox grinned leaning his head against the wall, as his mother-in law and Alex turned the corner at the top of the stairs.

_This isn't good._ He thought to himself glancing over at his phone on the table. _Maybe Theresa can talk to her. _

He walked over to the table and pressed redial on his phone, placing the device to his ear.

"Hello?" A female voice was heard on the line.

"Babe?" He knitted his eyebrows, not quite recognizing the voice on the other extension.

"Well I _could_ be, but I don't think your wife would like that very much." The voice flirtatiously responded.

"Destiny," Fox smiled realizing who the voice belonged to. "What's up?"

"Well I was actually just about to ask you that." She softly spoke into the receiver. "I wanted to make sure that you guys were still going to the circus."

Fox let out a sigh and braced against the sofa for support.

"I'm actually dealing with that crisis as we speak." He told her, glancing up at the stairwell.

"Why what's wrong?" Destiny asked, lightly applying a thick layer of red nail polish to her perfectly maintained toe nail.

"Well, Theresa can't make it." Fox explained. "She suddenly got really busy at work and she promised Hallie that she would come."

Destiny's eyes widened and a small smile crept out of the corners of her mouth.

"Oh, that's too bad!" She tried to sound convincing. "Hallie must be heartbroken!"

She bit her bottom lip and glanced around her hotel room, a million thoughts running through her mind.

"Yeah, she's pretty broken up about it." Fox slipped into the couch and leaned his head back. "My uh…mother-in law is upstairs with her right now, trying to get her to change her mind about coming."

"Well I know how much Hallie loves animals and I've never actually been to the circus myself." Destiny chose her words carefully. "I actually thought that Hallie and Alex might get to experience what I never got to as a child."

"That's really sweet of you Des," Fox smiled in the receiver as a thought crossed his mind. "Hey, I have an idea!"

Destiny moved to the edge of her chair and listened carefully for the next few words that came out of Fox's mouth.

"Why don't you come with us?" He asked.

Destiny had to place her hand over her mouth to avoid screaming.

"I would love to!" She exclaimed, almost a bit too eagerly. "I mean, if you think it's best."

"Of course I do!" Fox grinned widely. "It'll be great! Hallie and Alex already love you and who best to go with us than the person who got the tickets for us in the first place!"

Destiny immediately leaped over to her suitcase and rummaged through her clothes. She held a skirt and matching top up to her body and glanced in the mirror.

"Well Fox, I would love nothing more!" She smiled in approval at her choice of clothing and laid it on the bed. "Are you sure that Theresa won't mind though?"

Fox stopped in his tracks as the thought crossed his mind.

"Hmm, I didn't think of that." He bit his bottom lip.

_Destiny, what are you doing? _She thought to herself, as she heard Fox second guess his decision. _This is your chance to finally spend some time with him! _

"Actually, I'm sure she won't mind!" Destiny quickly thought. "It will only be for your own benefit. I mean, taking two kids to the circus can be quite overwhelming."

"Yeah, Theresa _was _a little worried about that." He mumbled, recalling their conversation from earlier.

"Alright then," she tried to sound convincing. "It's settled! I will simply be there to make sure the twins don't drive you completely crazy."

"Des, you are AMAZING!" He widely grinned as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Alright, so can you make it over here in like fifteen minutes?"

"You bet!" Destiny happily squealed. "See you then!"

Fox smiled and hung up the phone as he turned to the stairwell.

Hallie was standing at the top of the stairs looking at him through distressed eyes. Her eyelids, still damp with tears, fluttered lightly on her cheeks.

"Pumpkin, you ok?" He looked up at her as she slowly came down the stairs.

"Why can't mommy come?" She sadly asked, slipping into his arms when she reached the last step.

"She really wanted to babe but she just had some work to do." He soothingly rubbed her back.

"But then who's gonna ride the merry ground with me?" She sniffled in his shirt.

"Well," Fox took a moment to consider his willingness to ride the apparatus that he hated as a child. "I have a surprise for you…"

Hallie's head immediately lifted off his shoulder as she looked up at him with enquiring eyes.

"Since you're mom can't come with us to the circus, how would you like it if Destiny came?" Fox paused and searched his daughter's eyes for an ounce of happiness.

"Destiny?" Hallie slowly repeated as if trying to register the thought in her head.

Fox watched as a small smile crept out of the corners of her mouth.

"Will she ride the merry-go-round with me?" She looked at him.

"Are you kidding!" Fox exclaimed. "She'll probably ride it a hundred times with you!"

"Yeah!" Hallie giggled, grabbing her father's finger as she guided him towards the door. "Let's go!"

"Uh, Hallie aren't we forgetting Alex?" He smiled, allowing her to pull him.

"Alex hurry up!" She yelled over her shoulder at her brother. "We're gonna miss the circus!"


	17. Chapter 16

**CH 16**

The cool afternoon breeze softly blew under Fox's shirt, making it swell and deflate as he walked over the Riverside Bridge with Destiny and the twins. The faint smell of apple blossoms lightly filled the air as Destiny's loose auburn curls danced in the wind beside him. For the middle of autumn, the weather was surprisingly warm and not a cloud was visible in the sky. It was an absolutely perfect afternoon. Fox only wished that Theresa was there to share it with him.

An uneasy feeling swept through her as Destiny glanced over at Fox, who hardly uttered a word since the four of them had left the circus.

_He's probably thinking about Theresa. _She thought to herself, rolling her eyes. _This is not how this was supposed to be. When I agreed to come out with him and the twins it was so that we could spend time together, not so that he could fantasize about Theresa in his own little world. _

"Destiny?" Hallie suddenly spoke, looking up at her with those beautiful eyes that reminded her so much of Fox's.

"Yes, sweetheart?" She smiled at the five year old.

"Do you know what my favourite part of the circus was?" Hallie admiringly looked at her.

"Hmmm," Destiny smiled over at Fox, who looked equally as interested to hear his daughter's response. "The gigantic tigers that did all those amazing tricks?"

"Nope!" Hallie giggled.

"When we got to ride the elephants?" Alex chimed in.

"Nope!" Hallie shook her head again. "But that _was_ fun!"

"When you spilled your juice in daddy's lap so it looked like I went to the bathroom in my chair?" Fox gave her one of his looks but winked at her playfully.

"Noooooo!" Hallie laughed remembering her little accident from earlier.

"Then what is it? We give up!" Destiny through her hands in the air, as if she was all out of guesses.

"When we rided in the merry-go-round a billion gazillion times!" She exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Destiny's thigh.

Destiny immediately looked up at Fox, not quite sure how to respond to the five-year-olds sudden display of affection.

He gave her a quick wink and smiled approvingly in response to the bond that had obviously grown between them.

"Well honey, I'm glad that you liked it!" Destiny bent down to return the hug. "I enjoyed that part too!"

She suddenly felt a warm feeling run through her entire body as she stared into Hallie's eyes. The gratefulness in the child's face gave her an unusual tingly sensation up and down the sides of her arms—a feeling that she never quite experienced before.

_I guess this is what it kind of feels like to be a mother_. She thought to herself.

"Hey I have an idea!" She looked from Hallie to Alex, blinking back the tears that had strangely started to form in her eyes. "Who would like ice cream?"

"Meeeeeeee!" Hallie and Alex said in unison.

"Oh, Des you don't have to do that." Fox placed a hand on her back.

The sudden contact immediately made her shiver.

"Don't be silly!" She protested reaching into her purse for some money. "It would be my pleasure after the wonderful afternoon we've had!"

Fox just smiled at her willingness and followed her and the twins to the nearby ice cream truck.

"Mmm, look at all these yummy flavours!" She grinned looking at the ice cream choices on the side of the truck.

"Let me see!" Alex lightly tugged on Destiny's dress, as she lifted him up to have a better look. "I waaaaaaant chocolate!"

"Me too!" Hallie added.

"And for daddy?" Destiny looked at Fox.

"Oh, uh…let's see," Fox scanned over the flavours.

"Actually, let me take a guess," Destiny mischievously placed a finger to her chin. "Rocky Road?"

"How did you know?" He stared at her in surprise.

"Well, it _was_ your favourite back when we were together." She winked at him as she told the driver their orders.

Fox couldn't help but grin at Destiny's accurate memory. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that she would remember something as simple as his favourite ice cream flavour.

After they received their ice creams they found a nearby picnic table to sit at.

In the near distance Fox could hear the faint sound of music playing in the air. He had to listen carefully to identify which song it was and then finally the familiar tune filled his memory.

..

_Love once left me cold and grey_

_I had almost reached heaven just to feel it slip away_

_But life's too short to waste away_

_Being scared to take chances or so I've heard wise men say…_

_I wanna be loved, faithful and true_

_I wanna be loved, ten million lifetimes with you _

_I wanna be loved, and after all I've been through_

_I'll let my heart takes its chances, just to be loved by you_

..

"Oh Fox!" Destiny exclaimed as she also tuned into the song that was playing. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." He grinned over at her, remembering the song from his past.

"This is the first song that we danced to," Destiny smiled, reminiscing on the moment when she first laid eyes on Fox's handsome face.

As the familiar melody lingered in the air Destiny looked at Fox, searching for any signs of bliss in his eyes. However, Fox didn't return her stare. Instead he continued to look off into the distance, as if trying to remember the events that accompanied the familiar tune of the song.

_Please be thinking about us! _Destiny silently wished as she stared at the intensity in his eyes_. You couldn't possibly be thinking about anything else. This was our song!_

A smile appeared across Fox's face as he slowly began remembering the night that he shared with the woman that he loved; how the soft material from her dress felt across his fingers, the sweet fragrance that lingered in the air as they swayed to the beautiful melody of the song, the warmth from her cheek as it lightly grazed against his and the feeling of complete happiness that he felt in his heart as he held Theresa close in his arms.

Although the tune was indeed the song that he and Destiny first danced to all those years, it was also coincidently the same song that he and Theresa danced to on the night of their wedding. He remembered feeling so complete on that day—as if God was telling him that he made the right choice in choosing Theresa to be his wife. She made him feel so happy and so blessed. No one had ever made him feel that way.

_If only she was here right now to share this moment with me. _He sadly thought to himself as he heard the song reach its end in the distance.

As if being awaken from a trance, he repeatedly blinked his eyes and glanced back to Destiny and his children who were still happily enjoying their ice cream.

"Daddy, can me and Alex go play in that park over there?" Hallie suddenly asked, staring at a nearby playground.

"Uh…sure, but only for a little while babes." He smiled down at her. "We gotta get going soon."

"Yeah!" Alex grinned, as Destiny helped to wipe his mouth clean from the sticky mess.

"Destiny, can you come with us?" Hallie looked at her from across the table.

"Pumpkin, don't you think Destiny might be a little tired from today?" Fox looked down at her, noticing the weariness in Destiny's eyes.

"Pleeeeeease?" Hallie looked back at Destiny, avoiding her father's glare.

"How can I resist that face?" Destiny helplessly looked over at Fox.

"Well, she's got you hooked now!" Fox lightly tickled his daughter's tummy. "Those little faces don't work on me anymore!"

Hallie just scrunched up her nose and gave him one of her 'ya right' looks.

As Destiny took hold of the twins' hands, Fox watched as the three of them headed off to the nearby playground. He loved the way that she was so gentle and kind to his children.

_She'd be such a great mom. _He thought to himself, an immediate twinge of guilt filling his insides. _If only she had been given that chance. _

--

Theresa hurriedly grabbed her jacket from on top of the display case and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"Whit, you ready?" she called to Whitney who was just closing up the back room before grabbing her bag as well.

"Yup, we're out of here!" She smiled, as they walked out the door together.

"Oh man, I'm so glad this day is over!" Theresa exclaimed, walking out into the cool night.

"Ugh, same here!" Whitney sighed, as they walked to their cars. "Honey I'm so sorry that you had to miss the circus with the fam today."

"Nah, it's ok!" Theresa folded her arms to contain her body heat. "We made a lot of money today and there was no way that I would have left you to deal with all those customers alone."

"Aww, well we're a good team!" Whitney leaned in for a hug. "Hopefully Hallie and Alex had a good time with Fox."

"Oh I'm sure of it!" Theresa grinned, sliding her key into the key hole.

"Give them my love!" Whitney waved one last time before getting into her car.

"I will. Call me when you get home!" Theresa threw her purse in the back and carefully slid into the driver's seat.

As she proceeded out the drive way, she pressed the button for the radio and turned the volume down to a low but soothing hum.

"This should keep me awake," she muttered to herself as she pressed the number 4 on her phone to speed dial Fox.

_Hey you've reached Fox. Leave me a msg at the tone. _

His familiar voice rang throughout her car.

"Hey babe, it's me!" She said outloud. "I'm a little surprised to not get you…you're probably in the shower. Anyways, I'm on my way home. Hope you had fun today with the kids. I'll see you in a few. Love you. Bye."

She pressed END on her phone, and made a right turn onto her street.

_I hope Hallie wasn't too upset today that I couldn't make it. _She thought to herself.

She immediately began thinking about her daughter's outburst earlier that morning.

"So not like her to act like that." She muttered. "Something is definitely up with that girl. I just feel so bad that I had to break my promise to her today."

Suddenly Theresa's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of laughing coming from inside her house. She pulled into the driveway and turned off the ignition, listening carefully.

Immediately she heard the laugh again, but quickly recognized it as Fox's adorable chuckle.

"Hmmm, someone's having a little too much fun!" She smiled, getting out of the car.

As Theresa walked up the front steps and put her key into the hole, she heard the laughing once more. Only this time, it wasn't Fox who did it. The voice sounded feminine.

Knitting her eyebrows in confusion, she carefully turned the key in the door and stepped inside her warm home.

"I'm home!" She called, but received no response.

Resting her keys and bag on the mantelpiece, she proceeded to follow the laughing sounds into the living room. As she peered into the room, a slow frown appeared on her face.

_You've got to be kidding me. _She shook her head as she stared in disbelief at the scene in front of her.

There in the middle of the living room was Fox, her two kids and Destiny entangled in a human knot, playing what appeared to be the game _Twister. _Normally, she would have thought this was a pretty adorable scene—her kids playing nicely with their father. But the sight of Destiny intertwined between them, made her sick to her stomach.

Suddenly, Destiny tried to extend her left leg to reach a colour on the mat and predictably lost her balance, falling on top of Fox.

Not finding the scene even slightly humorous, Theresa briefly looked away as she felt her temper rise.

She returned her glare to them and loudly cleared her throat, ending the shrieks of laughter almost immediately.

Realizing her presence in the room, Fox turned his head.

"Theresa!" He nervously said her name, feeling his face get warm. "I didn't even hear you get home."

"Yeah, no kidding!" She stared at him in disgust, her insides burning with unbelievable rage.

**A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I know...Destiny's pretty evil but..can't help but feel sorry for her in a way..lol. Anyways, just to let you know the song in this chapter that Fox was hearing was called "I Wanna Be Loved" by Eric Bennet. It's one of my favourite songs and I thought the lyrics would be perfect to describe the love between Fox and Theresa. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D**


	18. Chapter 17

**CH 17**

Fox kept his stare locked on Theresa as she glared back at him through angry, hurt eyes.

It was amazing how much she was able to communicate to him through her blasé expression without uttering a single word. He instantly felt a knot form in his stomach as he helped Destiny to her feet and dumbly looked down at the ground. Although he _knew_ that he had nothing to feel ashamed about—he, Destiny and the kids were _just _playing--the cold and disappointed glare from his wife made him feel a million times worse.

"Theresa, I'm so sorry! I guess we all just got carried away!" Destiny awkwardly giggled, fixing her skirt in its right place. "I saw the _Twister _game in the den and I thought it would be fun to play."

"I bet you did." Theresa impassively stared at her. "In fact, I bet you just _loved _being entangled with _my _husband."

Destiny's jaw immediately dropped as she flashed Theresa her best innocent look.

"I'm sorry, what exactly are you implying?" She placed her hands on her hips, internally smiling at the accuracy of Theresa's statement.

Before Theresa could answer her question, Fox immediately stood between them.

"Alright, that's enough." He faced Theresa. "Baby, you're completely overreacting."

"Over-reacting?" She stared at him in disbelief.

She was just about to continue, when her glare shifted to her two children sitting quietly against the sofas, their worried expressions fixed on her and Fox. It was then that she realized that Hallie and Alex were still in the room and were witnessing the intense feud between them. The distraught expression on their little faces instantly brought tears to Theresa's eyes. Following her stare, Fox too looked back at his children and let out a deep sigh running a hand through his hair.

Theresa closed her eyes and tried to regulate her breathing to a more calm and slow pace. When her eyelids fluttered back open she made sure they were fixed on her children, as she forced a smile on her face.

"How was the circus you guys?" she grinned at them, completely ignoring Fox and Destiny's presence in the room.

"It was so much fun mommy!" Alex immediately ran to her, wrapping his tiny arms around her neck.

Theresa could feel the rapid drumming of his heartbeat as he cupped his hands in a tighter grip around the back of her neck, much like he did whenever he woke from a terrifying nightmare. Theresa took a moment to silently hold him in her arms, reassuringly stroking the small of his back. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced up at Fox who was sitting on the edge of the sofa arm looking equally as worried as she was about the emotional well being of their children.

_I hate arguing in front of them_. Theresa silently thought, locking eyes with them. _It's funny though because we've never actually argued like this before._

Her stare shifted from Fox to Destiny, who was fiddling with the buttons on her cell phone completely disinterested in the current situation.

_Fox and I never had a cause to argue until you came along, you stupid b—_

Theresa immediately stopped her thoughts and directed them back to her son.

"You can tell me all about the circus tonight at bed time, alright?" She lightly kissed his nose as he snuggled against her chest.

Smiling down at him, Theresa looked up confused to find Hallie still sitting quietly by herself.

"Hallie, don't you want to come tell me about the circus?" She asked her, noticing the avoidance in her daughter's eyes.

Hallie just shook her head and continued to stare down at the floor.

Suddenly Theresa remembered about the promise she had made to her that morning regarding the circus and let out a heavy sigh. She slowly walked over to where Hallie was sitting and crouched down beside her.

"Baby, are you upset because mommy wasn't at the circus with you today?" She looked at her.

Remaining silent, Hallie began picking at the fabric from the carpet.

"Honey, I'm sorry that I couldn't come but—"

All of a sudden Hallie shot up from the ground and attempted to rush past her in a huff.

"Woah, woah wait a minute Hallie!" Theresa barely grabbed her and turned her around to face her.

"You can't keep doing this every time you're upset!" She tried to look her in the eyes. "We talked about this already. You're a big girl now and you need to start acting like one."

"No!" Hallie struggled to break free from her mother's grasp.

"Hallie, that's enough!" Fox interjected and came over to Theresa's side. "Now, tell us what's wrong."

Theresa suddenly felt her husband's presence beside her. Although she did not want to be near him at the present moment, she was grateful that he was there to support her.

"Why weren't you there?" Hallie cried, tears rapidly forming in her eyes. "You said you would be! You said you'd ride the merry-go-round with me! You said it woulda been just me and you and you lied mommy! You lied!"

Theresa felt her heart break into a million pieces as she looked at her daughter's tear-stricken face.

"Honey, I know that I promised you that I would come and trust me I feel terrible about it." Theresa began, trying to calm her down. "But mommy just got really busy at work…"

"I wish Destiny was my mommy!" Hallie angrily spat, her face reflecting the rage she felt inside.

For the first time since Theresa walked through the door, Destiny's head raised with interest.

_Oh my god! _She grinned, her eyes sparkling. _Thank you God!_

Theresa felt like someone punched her in the stomach and left her to bear the unbelievable pain alone. Tears immediately brimmed her eyelids as she struggled to comprehend the words that came out of her daughter's mouth.

Noticing the pain in his wife's eyes, Fox aggressively spun Hallie around to face him.

"Apologize to your mother right now!" He stared at her with stern eyes, fighting his fatherly urge to pull her into his arms and console her.

"Sorry!" Hallie blurted out, pulling away from him as she ran up the stairs.

Fox tried to grab her but she managed to slip between his fingers. He looked over at Theresa who numbly remained in her kneeling position, staring at the spot where Hallie once stood.

"I can go talk to her," Destiny suddenly offered, walking toward the stairs.

As if awoken from a trance, Theresa immediately stood up and blocked her.

"You've done enough!" She shot a cold look at her. "Besides, this doesn't concern you. I can handle my _own_ daughter!"

"Could've fooled me," Destiny mumbled under her breath.

"What did you say?" Theresa took a step towards her, as Fox immediately held Theresa back.

"Don't touch me!" She mumbled so he could hear her, as she pulled away from him and walked over to Alex who worriedly looked on. "Come on sweetie, let's go upstairs."

"Actually," Fox spoke loudly. "I think Destiny _should _go see how Hallie is doing and if you don't mind Des, can you take Alex with you?"

"Are you kidding me?" Theresa spun around and glared at him.

"No, I'm not!" Fox returned her stare. "You and I need to talk."

"Come on Alex, you can show me all your cool toys!" Destiny approached him, trying not to look in Theresa's angry eyes.

Alex looked worriedly from Destiny to his mother, unsure of what to do.

"It's alright sweetie," she reluctantly let go of his hand and motioned for him to follow Destiny.

After they left, Theresa angrily spun around to face him.

"I can't believe you just did that!" She walked passed him.

"Ok, you _have_ to calm down Theresa!" He whispered to her. "You already saw how upset our children are getting."

"Our children are getting upset because of the situation that _you_ caused!" She sternly glared at him.

"_What_ situation?" Fox stared back at her, feeling himself growing flustered. "We were just playing Theresa!"

"TWISTER?!" She looked at him as if he were crazy. "I'm sorry! Maybe it's just me but considering the physical nature of the game, I don't think it's very wise for a_ married _man to play TWISTER with his kids and ex-girlfriend!"

"Oh give me a break!" Fox rolled his eyes.

"Give _me _a break Fox!" She placed her hands on her hips. "I had to work one of the craziest days at work today, thinking that I was going to be able to come home to a nice evening with my husband and kids, only to find the exact opposite!"

"Oh my god, Theresa! You're driving me crazy!" Fox came over to her and placed both hands on either side of her shoulders. "It was _just_ an innocent night of fun! You yourself were worried that I wouldn't be able to handle the twins on my own, so I invited Destiny to come along for the help. She was amazing! She not only helped the kids to have a good time, but she most importantly managed to keep Hallie's mind preoccupied so she wouldn't think about this morning. The only reason why Destiny even stayed this evening is because Hallie asked her to."

Theresa just stared into Fox's eyes, realizing how much she overreacted earlier. She let her gaze fall to the ground as she felt fresh tears burn her eyelids.

Fox watched the guilt sweep over her as he lifted her chin with his finger. When her eyes finally met his he gave her a weak smile.

"Babe, you gotta _trust_ me," He painfully looked into her eyes, feeling as though she didn't.

"I _do_ trust you, it's just—" Theresa let her words trail off, not even wanting to utter the name of his ex.

"Destiny," He finished the sentence for her. "I honestly wish that you didn't feel that way Theresa because she's harmless."

Theresa made a face at him and rolled her eyes at his last statement.

"I'm serious," He looked at her. "Destiny was really there for Hallie today."

Theresa sighed at the sound of her daughter's name, her mind trickling back to her harsh statement earlier. She sat down in the sofa and placed her head in her hands.

"That's just great, now my own daughter hates me!" She let the tears fall from her eyes as she thought back to Hallie's impenitent expression.

Fox crouched in front of her and kissed her forehead.

"She doesn't hate you," He whispered softly. "It's just that today you weren't here and although I know it was because of work, Hallie's too young to understand that. But don't worry she'll be fine. In fact, I'm sure Destiny's up there right now helping to put a smile on her face."

Theresa finally raised her head as her long damp eye lashes fluttered lightly against her cheeks.

A feeling of guilt suddenly swept over her.

"I think I owe Destiny an apology." She looked at Fox and sighed. "I think I owe you an apology too."

Fox just pulled her head toward his and kissed her lips hard deeply breathing in her scent.

"Consider yourself forgiven." He whispered, rubbing his nose against hers as they parted.

Letting out a sigh, Theresa stood up and made her way up the stairs to Hallie and Alex's room. Once she reached their door, she peered in and saw Destiny sitting with Hallie on her bed, with Alex playing cars on the other side of the room.

Theresa was just about to knock on the door, when something stopped her.

"Do you think mommy's mad at me?" Hallie looked up at Destiny.

"Nah," Destiny smiled. "She loves you very much."

Outside in the hall, Theresa grinned to herself, thankful for Destiny's kind words.

"You know, I had a baby a long time ago too." Theresa heard Destiny continue. "He or she probably would have been about your age."

"What happened to the baby?" Hallie softly spoke.

"Unfortunately, it died." Destiny sadly looked at her. "But I know one day I will get a chance to have another child."

"A girl?" Hallie hopefully smiled at her.

"I would _really_ like that," Destiny giggled. "And you know what?"

"What?" Hallie asked.

"If I have a daughter, I want her to be just like you." Destiny placed a finger to Hallie's tiny nose and smiled.

Theresa narrowed her eyes at Destiny's last comment, as she tightened her fists.

"If you think that you are going to somehow take my daughter away from me you have another thing coming." She whispered, keeping her cold stare on Destiny's face.

Theresa felt her rage return as she watched Hallie hug Destiny.

_I can't believe I was actually coming up here to apologize to you! _She thought to herself in disgust. _First you try to steal my husband and now you're moving in on my daughter?_

"You mark my words Destiny." Theresa whispered through clenched teeth. "I will _never_ let you take my family away from me—NEVER!"


	19. Chapter 18

**CH 18**

Destiny sat quietly in the dark sporadically glancing up at the moon outside her window, its light casting shadows on the furniture in her iving room.

Droplets of her remaining tears still clung to her eyelids, as the events of the last two weeks played back in her memory.

_Pregnant, _she thought to herself. _Me, Destiny Callaghan, eighteen years old and pregnant. _

She could already hear the snickers and vulgar comments from everyone at the College and more horrifically from her parents and the Press. She helplessly leaned her head back against the soft cushioning of her sofa as fresh tears escaped from the corners of her eyes.

Two weeks ago she was a happy, popular and dignified young woman. Today she was a miserable, confused and pregnant hopeless case.

"What will Nicholas say when he finds out?" she whispered to herself in the dark. "No doubt, he will be upset. I mean, we're only eighteen!"

Although she had known for two weeks now that she was pregnant, she hadn't mustered up the courage to tell her five-month boyfriend the news. Secretly she had wished that she would just wake up and be relieved to find out that this was all a scary dream. However, as days went by the truth became evident and she could no longer hide from it. She was pregnant and it was time she accepted it.

Destiny clenched her fists around the paper that she absentmindedly held in her hand. Realizing what she was holding, she smoothed out the official document and laid it in front of her. Once more her eyes scanned the first few lines and stopped abruptly at the bolded printed word.

_Female._

She suddenly felt a headache sneak up the back of her neck as she remembered her conversation with the doctor earlier that morning.

Dr. Anderson had been Destiny's doctor for years. When he told her that she was pregnant, naturally she was shocked and extremely frightened—both for her future and the health of her unborn baby. Dr. Anderson had sat her down and informed her of all the risks that accompanied teenage pregnancies but gave her his confidence that she would be able to carry the baby full term, if she took care of herself properly. He was concerned that Nicholas didn't know about the pregnancy and suggested that she tell him right away, but Destiny decided to wait for an _appropriate _time. She wasn't exactly sure when that appropriate time was, but she _did _know that she needed time to figure the situation out for herself first. Then a week later she suddenly had the urge to know the sex of the baby. Destiny wasn't even sure where the sudden curiosity came from, but she immediately told her doctor about it. Dr. Anderson agreed to perform a blood test but cautiously warned her of the high risk for a miscarriage to occur. Fortunately, the blood test was successfully taken without complications and Destiny received the results this morning.

"A girl," she whispered to herself. "Nicholas and I are going to have a baby girl!"

The thought slightly excited her because she always wanted a daughter…just not at the age of eighteen.

Destiny let out a sigh and carelessly placed a hand to her tummy subconsciously hoping to feel some kind of movement. The thought of a growing infant inside of her made her head whirl with concern.

_What if my body can't produce the nutrients that she needs? What if I do something wrong? What if—_

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the muffled sound of voices on the other side of her apartment door.

Destiny sat up and listened intently, staring into the darkness that encompassed her room.

Her heart leaped as she recognized the voices to be Nicholas and their next door neighbour Dylan. As she heard him fumble with his keys, she hurriedly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and hid the official document behind one of the pillows.

She turned her attention towards the door as Nicholas said good bye to Dylan and walked into the room.

"Why is it so dark in here?" He demanded, as he flicked on the wall light. He jumped back in surprised when he saw Destiny sitting on the couch. "Jesus Des, you scared the shit out of me!"

She carefully rose from the couch and approached him.

"Why are you sitting in the dark?" He glanced at her, resting his bag on the ground before turning to face her.

It was then that he saw the red puffy circles that engulfed her eyes.

"Nicholas, we have to talk." She looked up at him, not really knowing how to say the next couple of words.

"What is it?" He rubbed his tired eyes, sitting down on the couch.

"I don't really know how to say this…" Destiny began, avoiding his eyes.

"Well, come on Des spit it out!" He impatiently exhaled. "I'm really beat!"

"Fine!" She gave up trying to find the right words. "I'm pregnant!"

At first Nicholas just stood there without blinking and stared at her in disbelief.

"You're kidding right?" A smile slowly appearing on his lips.

"No!" She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I joke about something like this?"

"Well you _must_ be joking Des, because you just _can't_ be pregnant."

Destiny watched as he rose from the couch and walked over to the kitchen

"I am." She softly said, finding it difficult to believe it herself.

"Well, then you're going to have to get rid of it!" He looked at her through frantic eyes.

"What?" Her breath stalled in her lungs. "Get _rid_ of it? You can't just get rid of a baby Nicholas!"

"Yes-yes you can," he stared at her. "Doing that abortion thing."

"Excuse me!" Destiny's eyes widened. "I'm not aborting my baby!"

"We'll you're going to have to!" Nicholas placed his hands on her shoulders. "We can't have a baby Des, we're only eighteen!"

"I know but—"

"No!" He interrupted her. "Your parents would kill us! Your old man already hates me, what do you think he's going to say when he finds out about this?"

"I don't care!" Destiny heard the shrill objection in her own voice. "He can say whatever he wants! I'm not going to kill my own baby!"

"We're too young Des!" Nicholas pleaded. "What do we know about taking care of a baby?"

"Well…" Destiny frantically searched the air for answers. "I-I don't know but we can figure it out together."

She placed a hand on his arm.

"No way," He pulled away from her as though she had some kind of disease that he didn't want to catch.

"W-what are you saying?" Hurtful tears stung her eyes as she looked at him.

"I-I need some air." He simply said, heading towards the door.

"Nicholas!" She called after him.

"…And can you _not_ call me that!" He spun around to face her. "It's Fox, remember?"

Destiny watched in horror as Fox slammed the door behind him in frustration, leaving her alone in the living room.

She suddenly felt her throat tighten as fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Letting her body sink to the ground, Destiny carefully pulled her knees up to her chest and rocked back and forth.

"He can't mean it. He _can't_ mean it." She repeated to herself.

_Please God, don't let him mean it._

--

Destiny woke up to the sound of the alarm clock blaring on the night stand by her head.

She sat up in the bed and squinted at the rush of sunlight that filled the room. The events of the dream still lingered in her head.

She lightly brushed her hand over her eyes and felt the dampness on her cheeks. She let the moisture disintegrate between her fingers realizing that she had been crying.

"You really need to stop doing this Des," she said out loud to herself. "That happened over 2 years ago. Fox is completely different now."

An image of his face flashed in her head as she leaned her head back against the bed post, a small tear escaping from the corner of her eye.

"Besides," she whispered, remembering the baby she lost. "It's stupid to miss something that you never even bonded with."

Destiny couldn't stop the flow of tears that now welled in her eyes and fell rapidly down her face. She buried herself under her covers and hugged her pillow tightly across her chest.

Through the tears that clouded her vision, something in her purse suddenly caught her attention. She reached over her bed and pulled out the glossy photo from her wallet compartment. An instant smile appeared on her face as she recognized what the mysterious photo was.

The familiar faces of Fox, Hallie and Alex stared back at her. She was also with them in the picture. They took it in one of those overly-cramped booths at the circus. Destiny remembered feeling so close to Fox and his children that day—almost as if it were her _own_ family.

Her eyes wandered carefully over each of their happy faces but then came to a halt when they reached Fox's daughter.

_She is so beautiful! _Destiny thought.

It was unbelievable how strikingly she resembled Fox.

_I wonder if our daughter would have looked like Hallie. _She sniffled, as a peaceful feeling filled her insides.

"It would have been so perfect." Her own voice rang throughout her hotel room. "Me, Fox and little Hallie!"

She instantly shook her head, realizing her error.

"I mean, Me, Fox and our little baby girl." She grinned, imagining her beautiful family. "If only things had worked out that way…"

Destiny closed her eyes and held the photo close to her chest, silently wishing with all her might that she could take back the last two years of her life.


End file.
